
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/10019345.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage, Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling
  Relationship:
      Arthur_Weasley/Molly_Weasley, Hermione_Granger/Ron_Weasley, Severus
      Snape/Other(s)
  Character:
      S_-_Character, Bellatrix_Black_Lestrange, Dobby_(Harry_Potter), Draco
      Malfoy, Albus_Dumbledore, Harry_Potter, Hermione_Granger, James_Potter,
      Lily_Evans_Potter, Lucius_Malfoy, Luna_Lovegood, Millicent_Bulstrode,
      Molly_Weasley, Alastor_“Mad-Eye”_Moody, Narcissa_Black_Malfoy, Neville
      Longbottom, Other(s), Pansy_Parkinson, Remus_Lupin, Ron_Weasley, Severus
      Snape, Arthur_Weasley, Blaise_Zabini, Original_Character
  Additional Tags:
      Explicit_Language, BDSM, Heterosexual_Sex, Slash_sex, Incest, Sexual
      Content, Threesome, Angst, Tragedy, Bonding, Drama, Humor, Parody, Hurt/
      Comfort, Mystery, Suspense, Romance
  Collections:
      HPFandom
  Stats:
      Published: 2012-12-31 Chapters: 3/3 Words: 54627
****** NJAD 2.0 ******
by Candy_Bang [archived by HPFandom_archivist]
Summary
     Overhaul of the original Not Just Another Drarry. Slytherins are all
     about self-preservation. That's why Draco has to bed -and keep- Harry
     Potter. The unblemished skin on the arms of Draco and his friends
     depend on it. And then there's the illigitmate Jessa, who's more than
     a little messed up in the head and besotted with some other half-
     blood. Who hopefully isn't the Dark Lord. [Contains het, slash,
     corporal punishment, bad language, violence, angst and other dubious
     topics.]
Notes
     Note from SeparatriX, the archivist: this story was originally
     archived at HP_Fandom, which was closed for health and financial
     reasons. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its
     works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I
     e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but
     may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator,
     please contact me using the e-mail address on HP_Fandom_collection
     profile.
***** Feral Blood *****
Harry Potter is © J. K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic, and all others
involved.
 
Draco’s mother twisted her lips in an odd way as she regarded her son. To this
he heaved a sigh in response although he was not genuinely annoyed. She
deliberately did not speak and after it became clear that she had no intention
of doing so, Draco gestured impatiently with his eyebrows.
The irritating woman simply smoothed the immaculate folds of her dress.
“You don’t approve,” Draco surmised.
“I would never say that Draco,” Narcissa stated smoothly, folding her manicured
hands in her lap.
“Of course not,” Draco replied almost sullenly. His mother made no outward
indication that she was aware of the implied, ‘Your manner says it perfectly
well without words.’ Draco knew it was tiring and unsatisfying to argue with
Narcissa so he stood and left the room. He wore a slight scowl that increased
as he walked.
Draco reached his bedroom and took a seat on his bed. He was not angry with his
mother: he understood her and was fond of her. He was frustrated because she
disapproved of something he had no control over. The lack of control was
irksome enough without sensing Narcissa’s censure.
A noise interrupted Draco’s musings. He did not need to look up to know that
one of the physically stunted members of the help had appeared in the room with
a wary expression and even warier gait.
Draco did not bother with a glance in the intruder’s direction. “Out,” he said
shortly.
A torn expression appeared on the help’s leathery features but he remained long
enough to stammer in his unappealing dialect, “Is there anything you’ll be
wanting Master Draco?”
Draco sat forwards and clasped his white hands in a measured movement. A smile
spread on his cold features as with glinting eyes he regarded the intruder.
The pest departed loudly a moment later.
Draco let out a huff of amusement although he was not really amused, and
lowered himself onto his back in an unhurried movement. He massaged his face
with his hands. He should have kept the help around and practised hurling
particularly aggressive hexes at him.
Mother had a point. That did not mean she was right: because it was impossible
to do anything else with the current situation. Draco’s inward sensibilities
were as far from ecstatic about this state of affairs as Narcissa’s were. Draco
raised his hands to grip his hair and tease it unnecessarily into perfection.
He made another noise of dissatisfaction and pulled himself up into a sitting
position on his bed. His sport-trained body was oblivious to the strain caused
by his ridiculously soft mattress.
Draco slipped off his boots and padded over to the main window in his socks. He
surveyed the grounds mutely for a while before noticing his reflection. He was
clutching his left arm to his torso. Ridiculous! He stormed away from the
window, stabbed his feet back into his footwear and stormed downstairs. He
would go outside and get lost in the sky.
*
The Saviour had hardly taken his godfather’s death in his stride. The boy’s
expression only varied from numb when he broke his temper (without warning, and
spectacularly) or when he wept (often, and noisily).
Tonks was one of his allies –a member of the Order of the Phoenix- and she
dropped down beside him. Members of the Light –particularly Order members- were
generally considered the Savior’s protectors although not all of them had his
best interests at heart. The Light side were usually differentiated from the
practisers of the Dark Arts in that Death Eaters and the like typically wanted
the Saviour dead (and preferably served up before their Lord in a bloody
manner). Nymphadora Tonks was neither a Death Eater nor a particularly
treacherous Light witch but she was barely older than The Saviour and not
terribly reliable or graceful. She was, however, the only Order Member in the
vicinity currently daring to converse with him. “Bearing up?”
The Saviour looked at his trainers and then sidelong at the young woman. He
nodded blankly. Tonks was quiet and The Saviour watched her glance about the
room, presumably for conversational inspiration. She would need something
riveting. Since the fiasco that had cost Sirius his life The Saviour had taken
to roaming headquarters bleakly paying full attention only to the suffocating
emptiness.
The Saviour floundered for something to say. “Do you know what they’re upto?”
‘They’ referred to Albus Dumbledore, his reluctant lapdog Remus Lupin and Auror
Alastor ‘Mad Eye’ Moody. They had been involved in some odd, secretive
happening that had them lurking about Sirius’ familial homestead and attempting
to keep The Saviour away from its more neglected rooms. They had even attempted
to remove The Saviour from Grimmauld Place altogether but The Saviour had
railed strongly against that.
Tonks glanced at The Saviour thoughtfully. “Not really,” she replied. “They’re
acting... strangely though. I think Albus has got Mad Eye looking for
something... and Remus is acting... differently.”
“Worse than when Sirius had just died, you mean,” The Saviour muttered.
Tonks made a face that bemoaned her lack of tact, but nodded.
The Saviour sighed. “I never got kept informed even before...”
Tonks stared around the room again.
*
Severus had other regrets. He could hear the brats bickering outside his empty
classroom and it irritated him even more than he dared show. His temper was
especially short from a lack of sleep and the accumulated aches and pains
resultant of spending a night pandering to the whims of a sadistic madman.
It was no use sitting here marking papers; the rabble outside were
unconsciously inciting him to murderous urges. Severus threw himself to his
feet and stalked through to his quarters. The free period was before lunch so
he could steal a little over an hour of sleep. Hopefully that could prevent him
from skinning one of the noisy little morons. Not that they would be
undeserving of such a fate.
*
Jessamine swung her feet to idly (yet forcefully) kick the table before her and
ignored the pressure of Mad Eye’s fingers gripping her shoulder warningly. She
bared her teeth in the sharp smile she had been displaying for days. “What
right do you think you have to take me from my home?” she asked in her mildly
sweet, mostly brittle voice.
Mad Eye twisted her shoulder pointedly for her disrespect of Albus’ all-
knowingness. Jessamine met and severely disliked the gaze of the man’s boss as
Mad Eye did so. She pulled away in disgust and raised herself from her chair.
Mad Eye grabbed her with more care than he needed to and shoved her back into
the chair. “Watch your manners,” he said gruffly.
***
 
Jessamine ignored the call of ‘Snuffles’ from the mouths of students she had
never spoken to and mentally listed the differences between herself and Sirius
in her dark head; because that was easier than thinking about Sirius or the
nephew who had gotten him killed. She had slunk into the noisy grand hall and
trotted quickly towards the staff table, trying not to catch any more attention
than necessary from the students who were wondering what the Black dog was
doing here.
Jessamine was smaller than Sirius- obviously a bitch... She was slenderer,
although they had both been skeletal for the past few years. She didn’t have
Sirius’ pale eyes, and her’s held an expression that was far less human than
his even after his unjust incarceration. Jessamine ducked past the Ravenclaw
table and swiftly mounted the raised area on which the Staff table was
situated.
There were far too many eyes on her despite her discrete entrance, and she was
very aware of that. It was a slight relief to get behind the table and out of
the way of those gazes.
“Minnie?” Mad Eye pulled away from the table to peer down at her. “What the
devil are you doing?”
Jessamine had said repeatedly that she was not going to enter the grand hall
during mealtimes and she had not before now…but she was getting restless and
spooked from being stuck in the rooms all the time. That feeling was growing
increasingly worse since they had sent her servant to the kitchens. He would
probably poison the food. Ordinarily she’d be amused by that. More than once
she had stared at Albus and imagined his painful death before her. She cringed
as she caught his scent in her nostrils.
Jessamine hoped her flinch hadn’t been noticeable. She had known he was here
but the old coot made her nervous. He was as cold as her but he pretended not
to be – and was so convincing everyone thought him marvellous. People were
smart enough to be wary of her but they stupidly put their trust in Dumbledore.
Jessamine shrank smaller as she crept beneath the tablecloth and pawed Alastor
Moody’s leg. She did not want to be amongst these people but she needed the
reassurance of Mad Eye’s company. He glowered down at her with barely masked
concern. His magical blue eye was fixed on her also, and that was unnerving in
a different way.
The dog bowed her head and pulled herself onto Alastor’s lap. Let him look. She
was even smaller now, and stood mutely waiting for a response. When Alastor did
not push her down Jessamine nuzzled under his overshirt and remained there. He
was warm and his heartbeat was steady.
“Minnie,” he repeated.
She poked her nose out of the neck of his clothing reluctantly.
Alastor continued to glare at her for a while before he stroked the tip of her
face and asked softly, “Are you hungry?”
She whimpered in protest but at that moment her stomach rumbled against his.
Stupid, traitorous thing. He scooped her out of his shirt and placed her on the
table beside his plate. Minnie struggled to keep her paws and tail away from
the utensils and goblets surrounding her. The teachers on either side of him
scowled at Alastor.
Jessamine would not be impressed to have an animal on the table either,
regardless of her human heritage. Still, that would be a waste of breath on
Moody. She had wondered more than once whether his bewitched eye showed him a
girl crouching before him, but she was fairly sure it did not.
Minnie looked in distaste at the unappetising meat on Alastor’s platter. It
smelt dead and was covered in blobby fat. How could he consider eating that?
She nudged something healthier and low-everything onto the side of his dish and
began to pick at it half-heartedly.
“You can’t be enjoying that,” Alastor commented after watching her performance.
He offered her something warm and still bloody that everyone else was avoiding
eating. It was probably slipped onto the table by her servant on the off chance
that she appeared, but Jessamine was unsure how Alastor understood her growing
craving for the taste of raw meat. How she wanted to hunt soon. She needed the
nourishment of a proper meal and her need –emotional and physical- to break
something was becoming close to overwhelming.
She sniffed gently and nuzzled at the proffered meat, lapping the warm liquid
from Alastor’s large, rough fingers. She could feel the weight of the blood
slicking her whiskers. Hesitantly, she bit into the food and chewed delicately
on a small mouthful. Afterwards she stepped back down onto Mad Eye’ lap and
refused the rest of the meat or anything else he offered, although content to
lick more blood from his hands. No reason to give in to temptation too much.
The taste was just making her crave rabbit more and she knew perfectly well
they wouldn’t permit her onto the grounds. Letting her leave her room was an
illusion of freedom.
She just wanted to kill a little rabbit or two...
“Jessamine, I am surprised to see you at our table.”
What? Oh, him: she had almost forgotten he was there. What made him think he
had any right to address her? Especially when she was thinking about eating
rabbits. The dog stiffened and turned, snarling, to the man who had spoken.
Albus Dumbledore looked over his glasses at her with a smile. His eyes twinkled
gently but his friendliness seemed forced. So it should. “How are you?” he
asked.
Minnie gave him a filthy look and turned her back on him. She would like throw
salt in his eyes. Or pepper. She eyed the condiment speculatively.
Alastor stroked her raised hackles soothingly. The touch felt good but his
disapproval was tiresome. “You’re being bloody rude Minnie,” he scolded.
She nipped his wrist gently with her teeth before speaking in a voice loud
enough for Dumbledore to hear. “I don’t care; I don’t trust him Mad Eye.”
Alastor cuffed her nose softly, “Be polite, can’t you, girl?”
“Shan’t,” she muttered darkly. He took the pepper and moved it out of her line
of sight, causing her to huff quietly in disgust. She wouldn’t have done it
anyway.
 
The meal ended and Alastor drew the dog from his lap into his arms. As they
left Dumbledore stopped them. “I hope you’ll learn to trust me, Jessamine.”
Mutely, she gave him a pained look and turned her face into Alastor’s chest.
Albus could go stab himself in the eyes.
Alastor looked at her and sighed. “Sorry Albus.”
“Quite alright,” forgave Dumbledore. “Perhaps in time?”
Alastor nudged his charge. “I hope so,” he said pointedly. Minnie wriggled
sulkily. She’d forgiven the ‘sorry, Albus’ because he was Moody, but he had no
right to try and make her be nice to the senile, passive-aggressive, odious man
with no sense of style. Filthy muggle-lover.
Albus wandered off looking thoughtful and Moody scowled, pulling Minnie off him
to glare at her. “I’ve a good mind to shake you,” he said severely.
Minnie squirmed in his hold and scrambled onto his shoulder. His large hands
reached up to steady her. “But you won’t,” Minnie replied.
“I’m damn irritated by you,” Alastor pressed.
“Doesn’t mean you’ll hit me,” the dog mumbled into his neck. “I’d never forgive
you.”
Alastor made an annoyed noise deep in his throat and carried her up to his
rooms.
“You never said…” she murmured.
Alastor settled into an armchair by the fireplace with Minnie in his lap. Her
face was settled against his warm chest. “Said what, girl?” he replied. One of
his hands rested on her back and he glanced down at her calmly. She seemed to
spend half her time at his ankles or on his chest.
Her reply was lost a little less in his shirt this time. “Why you didn’t want
to break my fingers…”
Alastor laughed and reached for his hip flask. That should not have been funny,
but it was such a peculiar comment that he had to laugh. When it was Minnie, it
was always better to laugh than to let her thoughts under your skin. He had
found that her head was a disturbing place to be. Minnie shifted comfortably to
allow him access to his drink before settling back against him.
“You’re tired,” Alastor protested.
“Yes, so talk to me…” the dog pleaded sleepily.
Alastor shook his head. “Get dressed first, and then we can talk before you go
to bed.”
Minnie tapped him hard with her muzzle and leapt down from the seat. Mildly
amused by her sulk, Alastor took a swig from his flask.
The dog returned swiftly; but she was not a dog anymore. Minnie stood awkwardly
against the doorframe in the form she was born in and dressed in one of
Alastor’s most worn shirts. Her dark hair hung about her face and she played
anxiously with the shirt’s brushed cotton cuffs. The bottom of the shirt
stopped just below the top third of her thighs and displayed to Alastor a large
amount of her long, gleaming, pale legs. Her skin was the almost painful white
of those who rarely saw sunlight, yet livid red and purple handprints marked a
vast quantity of this visible flesh. They had been black the first time Alastor
saw them. A dying bruise on her thigh in less common yellow and green dots
reminded him of a further incident left unspoken, but this was a paw shaped
marking, larger than a print left by any ordinary wolf. Remus had caught scent
of her and left a number of those, largely around her collarbone and hips.
The sight was enough to make Alastor inhale quickly. He could never decide
which disturbed him more: her naked legs or the major bruising on them.
“Kindred Jessamine Black, must you?”
Minnie sighed. “Don’t use my whole name…”
Alastor swallowed from his flask again, feeling quite perturbed but willing to
accommodate her for now. The first time Alastor saw Minnie she had been attired
in a similarly worn and revealing outfit, but it was torn mostly to shreds.
This was an improvement. “You do have clothes of your own Minnie.” Another
swig. He knew the comment was lost on her. She habitually wore his shirts when
they were alone. “Come here and have your talk with me then, girl. Fill my head
with your nonsense.”
Minnie smiled and stepped away from the doorframe. As she walked towards him
Alastor choked. “Minnie!”
Minnie made a face and flounced back into his room. They had been through this
before. Moments later she returned with a thin strip of Alastor’s shorts
showing beneath his shirt as she walked. Every time he saw a little too much of
the top third of her thighs he insisted she put something else on, and then
said nothing else on the matter. Alastor had not yet decided whether this habit
was merely an attempt to train the girl in normality or a strategy to prevent
him from doing something impermissible.
Minnie climbed into his lap and settled. Alastor had gotten used to having the
nubile youth monopolise his lap without invitation. “Well…” she began, “After
…after what he did-”
“Remus?” Alastor supplied.
Minnie avoided his gaze and in this instance that meant a ‘yes’. She continued,
“After that, when he was there …with Dumbledore …and you… to… To…”
 
Alastor felt the shape-shifter girl’s unease. He completed, “On the night when
we collected you.”
Stress and misery glanced across her expression for an instant before
disappearing. Her expressions regularly expired on her face. “Yes,” she agreed
in a tight voice, “when that happened… you didn’t have to- I mean; you could
have... There would have been no retribution for you had you hurt me!” Minnie
blurted.
“You’d done nothing wrong, girl,” Alastor said calmly.
“That wouldn’t have mattered,” said Minnie bleakly, and with an edge of anger.
“It would have mattered to me,” Alastor replied gruffly, “and both Albus and
Remus can be trusted.” His jaw tightened momentarily. He put that down to the
unfortunate fact that Remus had not been in full possession of his mind when
Jessamine had been discovered. Not that Jessamine appeared to have a
particularly strong hold on hers’.
“Good men can do bad things,” a frowning Minnie retorted. It was easy for her
to attack poor Remus’s character but Alastor understood her contempt for the
unfortunate lycanthrope was minimal when compared to her distaste for Remus’
‘master’.
Alastor glanced at her. “You don’t trust anyone; do you?”
“From what I heard, neither do you.”
When no retort came to his tongue Alastor took another mouthful from his flask.
He was not unaware that that was as close as the girl was likely to get to
vocalising her reasons for trusting him. Jessamine seemed to hate everyone else
and because she favoured him so obviously it made it hard to argue with her
sometimes. Only sometimes however.
From where Minnie was she could smell the alcohol on his breath. The homeliness
of that comforted her.
“You can trust me,” Alastor said after a pause that was too long for a normal
conversation.
“I do,” Minnie admitted softly.
Alastor tightened his grip on her in reassurance. She seemed exhausted. She
always seemed exhausted. He doubted she was sleeping properly, if at all.
Alastor glanced at the clock. “Time you were in bed,” he commented.
“I’m not tired!” Minnie protested quickly and with a meagre sliver of panic.
“Bed, Minnie,” Alastor commanded, missing the tiny inflection in her tone.
With a wounded expression Minnie gave her guardian a loose hug and stood up.
Alastor Moody felt his stomach tighten at sight of the bruises that marked so
much of her legs. The fading pawprints had been Remus’ accident, but the
majority of damage the girl refused to account for.
Minnie shuffled tiredly to her room.
When she had closed her door Alastor found himself thinking about the night she
had been collected from Grimmauld Place. She had been there all along without
anyone’s knowledge but couldn’t possibly stay. Especially after the Lupin
fiasco.
By manipulating the servant Kreecher it had been possible to corner the
illusive Kindred Jessamine and …well… trap her. At Dumbledore’s instruction,
he, Moody and Lupin had attempted to transfer her to elsewhere. That proved
unexpectedly difficult because Minnie could not be found. Said female animagus
metamorphmagus could not be seen even by Moody’s bewitched scrutiny because
said female simply shrunk herself to elude her three would-be captors.
Believing the girl to be invisible, but using some unusual form of magic,
Alastor had shuffled around the room attempting to feel for her and had
directed the other men to do likewise. When questioned about the odd shuffle
replacing his ordinary limp, Moody had explained he had no desire to harm the
unseen teenager by kicking or trodding upon her. She was built slightly and he
feared a mild blow could do her serious damage.
Minnie became visible against him for that small kindness. After all, she knew
she couldn’t hide forever and at least this man seemed to lack the sadistic
streak that ran through every other person she had ever known. She had clung to
Moody, and refused to allow the other men to come near her without her making
violent protests. Alastor had never seen someone kick Albus before, much less
in the face.
With a sigh, Alastor rubbed what was left of his nose and headed for his own
room; dousing the dying fire with his wand.
*
Alastor woke to the certainty that someone was nearing his room. There was a
hesitant knock on the door. “Mad Eye?”
He heard the quaver in her voice and spelled open the door.
The girl in the doorway looked even wearier than when Alastor sent her to bed.
Around Jessamine’s eyes appeared almost bruised and her eyes themselves were
bloodshot.
“I…” Minnie’s eyes were wide and pleading; gleaming in the darkness. “I… I…”
“Minnie.” Alastor sat up to see the girl better and growled to make her speak
competently.
Minnie lowered her face. “I can’t sleep and I’m scared andcanIsleepwithyou?”
Alastor stared at her. That was unexpected. Where was his vigilance now?
At the attention Minnie’s expression shifted instantly from worn out to
terrified of her actions and their probable results. She turned to flee with an
apology of, “SorryI’lljustgobacktomyroom!”
Alastor rubbed his face. Despite his mantra of ‘constant vigilance’ his mind
was a little too sleep-fogged to understand what had transpired. “Minnie!”
The girl returned from her own doorway wearing an unintentionally fearful
expression.
“Minnie,” Moody repeated.
Minnie met his gaze reluctantly.
“Come here,” Alastor ordered. What was wrong with this girl?
Minnie felt trepidation rise in the depth of her stomach. She wasn’t so sure
anymore that he would avoid using physical punishment on her.
She made her way slowly up to Moody’s bedside.
He watched her intently as she approached and settled even his magical blue eye
on her when she paused before him with her head downcast.
“Look at me, girl,” he said roughly.
She did.
“Speak to me again; slowly. What did you say?” He looked incredulous.
Minnie squirmed painfully. “I… asked if I could lie with you.”
Alastor did not break his gaze and Minnie managed to both blush and break out
in a cold sweat. No one ever looked at her like that and she had just asked the
stupidest of questions.
After what was to Jessamine an eternity of his disembowelling scrutiny, Mad Eye
eventually ripped his eyes away and threw back his quilt brutally.
Minnie felt her blood pounding in her ears. Was he about to get up and..?
“Climb in,” Alastor muttered, not looking at her.
“What?” wheezed Minnie.
“Get in the bloody bed Minnie,” Moody snapped. It was bad enough he was
welcoming a damaged teenage girl into his bed just because she looked so
unnaturally vulnerable, without her making him beg her to do so.
The girl obeyed swiftly; avoiding Alastor’s gaze. He tugged the quilt over them
both and rolled onto his side; Minnie lay stiffly a small distance from his
back.
Alastor listened to the girl’s stifled, panicked breathing and wondered what
had just happened. He had heard her pacing the floor at night before but after
going through once to order her to bed she had not been heard again.
Minnie tried hard to keep still and appear calm. She could sense Moody was
still awake. After a while she heard him say softly, “Do you want to tell me
about what’s wrong?”
Minnie bit her lip. After a further pause she had the feeling Alastor could see
her even with his back to her. She rolled over to squint at his head in the
poor light. “I’m just not keen on sleeping alone, is all,” she breathed.
“Liar,” he replied bluntly. She was still trembling.
“Yeah,” she agreed sadly. Moody continued to stare at her. If answering in the
affirmative saddened her what was preventing her from telling him the truth?
Jessamine turned away and closed her eyes. She was soon asleep and Moody put
that down to her exhaustion. He stayed awake to consider the incident and heard
Jessamine start to cry out and cough in her sleep. Alastor nudged her gently
and she sat upright, snivelling before she had opened her eyes, and choking
from the force of her sobs.
“Jessamine? What’s wrong? Calm down Minnie; what’s wrong?” Alastor asked.
The girl looked at him for a moment then shook her head and continued to cry.
Alastor wrapped his arms around her and Jessamine bolted towards his chest:
where she clung.
“Minnie?” Alastor prompted. Her sobs were even more worrying than the fact he
had this teenage nymphet wrapped around him in his bed. Jessamine made no reply
and continued to splutter. Her weeping died down slowly until it became clear
she was sleeping again.
 
Alastor woke throughout the remainder of the night to Minnie’s whimpers and
muted cries. Each time, he pulled her protesting form into his arms and soothed
her until she could sleep quietly again. Why was this little creature so
distraught?
*
In the morning Minnie woke resting her head in the crook of Alastor’s arm. His
other arm was swung over her protectively. She cringed remembering how
embarrassingly she had acted last night and tried to slip out of Moody’s grip
to leave before he woke. Perhaps he wouldn’t remember.
Alastor felt her shift and woke. His mind registered that daylight was washing
over the room and realised it was morning. “How are you, girl?” he asked
gently.
Minnie flared red. “I’m fine,” she croaked.
Alastor frowned at the lie. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Minnie protested.
“Lying is really getting to be a habit of yours, Minnie; better keep an eye on
that.”
Minnie coloured further. She did not want any conversation and definitely not
in his bed. “I’d better…go…shower,” she said.
“Of course,” Alastor said. He could tell when she did not want to talk, and he
had no intention of pressing her to stay in his bed.
Alastor sat up as Minnie padded away from the bed and she gasped; she had never
seen his bare arms or chest in lighting so brutal. So many prominent scars were
brought into relief that Jessamine was surprised she had not seen them in the
dim of the night.
Hearing her gasp and immediately recognising it as that of someone seeing his
disfigured flesh for the first time, Moody stiffened.
“Wow,” murmured Minnie. “I’m sorry…wow.”
Moody looked at her in irritation and pondered the transfixed expression on her
youthful face. It was not the expression he had anticipated.
“You never showed me those,” Minnie said accusingly.
Moody raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I don’t normally give a guided tour,”
he replied.
Jessamine’s previously guarded eyes brightened in interest. “Give me one?”
Minnie asked, “Please?”
Alastor didn’t move from where he was. He was going to do no such thing and why
would it even occur to her to want that? And why had he allowed the pretty
little wild thing into his bed last night, especially dressed as she was? And
as he was? “Why in earth’s name would you want a tour of my scars?”
“They’re interesting,” said Jessa, sitting down beside him. “They have a
story.”
Moody’s expression clouded, not even distracted by her naked, bruised, legs.
“They’re not the sort of stories I care to tell.”
Minnie absentmindedly traced her finger delicately over a silver ghost of an
old wound. It was scored deeply into the mutilated flesh. Her touch sent a
spark down Alastor’s spine. Any touch, particularly from a semi-clad teenage
female, would have affected Alastor, but the dark excitement he sensed from
Jessamine made his hairs rise.
“Tell me about some of them sometime?” Minnie asked quietly.
“Yes,” said Moody shortly, leaving the room quickly. What was wrong with her?
And why did he say yes?
Minnie’s eyes lingered on his exposed, marked leg(s) and trailed over the back
of his boxers before mentally shaking herself. ‘Get a grip,’ she thought, and
instantly regretted the pun. She wondered why his scars enthralled her. Lupin’s
disgusted her, and she had expected to always hate the man who had lost his leg
and nose in the stories her half-brother had told her more than once. Mad Eye
was kind though. Her brother never told her that.
Minnie wondered what her half-brother would say about how she had spent her
night. With the Auror who had killed and harmed plenty of her brother’s peers.
Perhaps Mad Eye was like her brother: he had done countless bad things but he
would never hurt her. But... that did not explain the excitement she felt at
the way Moody looked at her when she touched that scar.
Minnie scowled, put the man deliberately out her mind and got up to start
getting ready. Since when did she act like a hormonal teenager anyway?
*
Alastor looked at Minnie questioningly. “Are you coming down to the Grand
Hall?”
Minnie replied by making a face. “Can’t face eating this early.” She genuinely
could not: the smell of so much food was overpowering and particularly when
early in the morning.
Alastor nodded. She usually declined. He persisted, “Do you want to come for
the company?”
“Girl or dog?” Minnie mused.
“As either,” Moody responded.
Minnie considered. As a dog, she could sit in the protection of Mad Eye, in
close proximity to him. As a girl, she appeared more intimidating and could
also use the cover of other students to draw less attention to herself. A dog
was noticeable but could sit so close to Mad Eye...
Sensing her apprehension, Alastor said, “I’ll bring you back up to the rooms
before class if you prefer.”
His voice soothed some part of Minnie. Her forehead wrinkled slightly as she
puzzled over how she wanted to spend yet another day in wretched Hogwarts.
“Or you could go exploring?” Alastor suggested. He could see the boredom that
had crept onto her face.
“You think it’s safe?” Minnie was surprised.
Alastor surveyed her. “For you, here, yes.” He quirked an eyebrow, “You know
enough nasty little Dark tricks to look after yourself.”
Minnie smirked to herself in agreement. “It was everyone else’s safety I was
referring to…”
Abruptly she became a small mound in her clothing. Alastor watched
affectionately as she poked her nose out of her attire and he reached down to
stroke her face. She snuffled his thick fingers and he scooped the dog into his
arms. The house elves could deal with her garments.
“Once you’ve eaten I’ll wander around for a little while then come back here,”
Minnie decided.
“You would probably find it easier to blend in were you in human form,” Alastor
commented.
Jessamine seemed to dislike using her human form outside of their rooms. “I’ll
transform after breakfast.”
The house servants should avoid tidying her belongings away then. Moody shifted
her under his arm and bent to pick up her clothes, being so used to the task
that he did not even mentally bemoan his new station as the girl’s nursemaid.
Minnie said little as Alastor carried her down to the Grand hall. Pupils stared
towards them in sharp interest but did not dare scrutinize a Professor
directly, and especially not a retired Auror like Moody. Minnie was still aware
of their sneaked glances, however. She leaned into Mad Eye and tried to feign
disinterest in everything.
Moody settled at the staff table and dropped her to his lap. The other teachers
ignored her, except the Gamekeeper who smiled to see a beast at the table, and
Minnie placed her forepaws experimentally on the table to gain a better
vantage. With slight interest she surveyed the room and with a shock she tore
her gaze from The Saviour, who reminded her nastily of her eldest half-brother.
The Saviour was not yet seated at the Gryffindor table. He hadn’t noticed her
presence.
Her redirected gaze brought her past the Ravenclaw table, where students were
practising transfiguring various objects; past the Hufflepuff table, where an
eclectic mix of teenagers hugged and shared food; to the Slytherin table.
Here were the majority of purebloods.
Moody was stroking between her shoulder blades relaxingly and Minnie settled
her head on her paws to watch the righteously blooded. The majority of these
purebloods shared a bloodline with her –of course they did, a purity of blood
meant ‘interbred’- but she did not look for close relatives. She was more
interested in the hierarchy of the house, but that search led her to a close
relative anyway. He was a cousin at least, and a half-sibling at most. She was
pure of blood undeniably, but she did not claim to be legitimate.
As though he felt her scrutiny, the teenager glanced towards her. Feeling
perturbed by this, she shifted her eye level to observe the toned males who
flanked him protectively and to look through the brunette girl who grinded
herself so unashamedly against the boy in whose lap she resided.
Still the boy was looking at her, and now the writhing, bouncing girl was
looking too, and trying to return the gaze of Minnie’s half-sibling to a
jumping teenage bosom. This irritated Minnie, because she wanted to study the
boy’s exquisite bone structure; was her’s like that? And besides, the lap-
dancing girl’s display of crudeness was both crass and unbecoming of her
respected name. The girl could conceivably only be the boy’s betrothed.
Seated facing Minnie’s half-brother was a boy with equally fine cheekbones and
feline eyes made up in an Egyptianesque manner. His dark skin appeared flawless
to Minnie’s superior-than-human eyesight and with a flash of recognition she
realised she was appreciating the Zabini boy. She remembered his well-known
mother, but the boy… What had he been called? Blair? Blaen? Blitzen?
Blizzard... No; Blaise Zabini.
She considered him further. Wow, he was hot.
Minnie became aware again that Alastor’s big hand was still stroking her
reassuringly. His affection meant more suddenly than quenching her curiosity
and, yes, lust. She found herself leaning back into his caress.
Alastor looked away from his conversation with various colleagues to murmur
brief words of comfort. He must have felt how tense she was. She nestled into
his warm body and remained there until Alastor chose to speak again near the
end of the meal.
“Where are you intending to go?” he asked in a soft growl.
Minnie wriggled her nose into him to avoid looking shamefaced. “Actually,” she
squirmed, “I want to go back to the rooms…” She pulled back her face to watch
his reaction.
He didn’t appear annoyed or even exasperated at all. “I’ll take you, girl,” he
offered.
“Thank you,” she replied genuinely.
*
Once again resembling the species that she was born as, Minnie sat by the fire
in Professor Moody’s rooms. He was elsewhere teaching and her clothes mostly
lay beside her. She had pulled on her long cotton teeshirt because it was cool
and thin, but nothing else. The heat from the flames burned her face, exposed
arms, and even through her top, but she did not move away. Minnie stared into
the flickering heat without seeing much. She was brooding silently, but her
thoughts were the opposite of quiet. In her head she heard herself beg softly,
insistently, knowing pleas for clemency were always futile.
Her skin burned but she could hardly feel it. Mostly she only noticed the
distorted screaming. The screaming; yes, the screaming; but it had not all been
her’s. Jessamine felt sick. It hurt… but the memories would not fade. It
wouldn’t stop; none of it would stop. It never stopped –not even if she begged.
Especially not if she begged. Again and again they would –he would…
She jolted to her feet away from the fire: clawing and rubbing at her hot skin
to rid herself of the waking nightmare. Her entire body shook. She wanted to
tell herself that she was far too old for nightmares, but her heart was beating
so fast it scared her.
If she had still been at Grimmauld Place Kreecher would have distracted her far
earlier than now. Stupid, awful Dumbledore! Minnie’s body continued to tremble
violently and her wand …it could be anywhere. She regulated her breathing
deliberately and –hardly for the first time- cast a spell on herself to soothe
her nerves. Wandless magic had been something she had practiced since she was
very young and even in her worst emotional states was not difficult. One of her
half-brothers had taught her the skill to keep her safe and amused.
Minnie heard the door open and turned around to face it whilst at the same time
moving out of sight. Alastor should be teaching… and it wasn’t Alastor who
stood scowling in the doorway with a curled lip and a leash in his fist.
Nasty, pain-inducing spells leapt to the forefront of the teenager’s mind.
Black robes billowed around him as the man strode into the room. Dark, lank
hair hung around darker eyes in a sombre curtain and a pale, angular nose
protruded from a face which wore a frown of distaste. Minnie recognised him as
the Potions Professor.
“Minnie,” Snape drawled to the room, “much as it pains me, it has been arranged
that during my free period I am to take you for a walk.”
Minnie knew that the doorway was enchanted that all strangers who entered had
to be truthful about the purpose of their presence. Moody would, of course,
expect her to disregard the enchantment for fear that the spell had been
disabled or tricked somehow.
“Minnie!” Professor Snape snapped. “I have only an hour!”
Minnie ignored him and made no move towards him. The dark-haired man’s scowl
deepened and he sat down on the couch. With a flick of his wand a stack of
students’ papers appeared on the coffee table before him and he pulled out a
quill to mark them. Minnie watched as he began to mark them viciously and she
flinched on behalf of whatever student had just had a cruel line scored through
six paragraphs. The Professor had not finished either. He continued through the
three foot long essay scratching lines through the tiny print until little text
remained. He tore an enormous ‘D’ onto the page and moved onto the next paper
with equal nastiness.
Irritated by Snape’s uninvited presence, Minnie silently cast a feather light
step charm on her feet and left without his notice. Presumably Albus had sent
Snape to ‘walk’ her and she refused to cooperate in the farce. He continued to
mark papers until Moody appeared an hour later at break. Alastor did not seem
surprised at Snape’s presence.
“I take it she evaded you, then?” Alastor growled.
The Potions Professor’s lip curled, “Quite.”
Moody turned to the room. “Minnie!” he yelled.
Minnie slung her torso around the doorframe. “Yeah?”
Alastor pointed to the sneering man who was not looking at either of them.
“He’s to baby-sit you this period from now on. Dumbledore would like you to
have some supervision.”
As Minnie struggled to keep her expression neutral, Snape and his things
disappeared with a crack. He clearly did not want to be here either. Really,
would it have been so difficult to send her servant to relay the message? She
had made it clear she didn’t trust anyone but Alastor or Kreecher.
Moody scowled suddenly as he looked at his charge. “Step into full view,” he
demanded.
Minnie appeared in her teeshirt, and jeans that she definitely had not been
wearing earlier.
Alastor scowled as his gaze fell on her clothes scattered on the floor.
“You better not have any more bruises on you,” Alastor hissed.
Aware nothing had happened, but feeling uncomfortable anyway, Minnie squirmed
and replied in the negative. “Relax, will you?” she said meekly.
Alastor searched her eyes. “Come here,” he ordered gently. She obeyed.
“He didn’t force me,” Minnie said, “to do anything.” She then scowled, thinking
of the numerous others. “Unlike some,” she added quietly. “He just marked some
papers. He’s not a very generous marker, is he?” she said lightly.
Her words did not seem to pacify Moody however. “What the bloody hell went on
here?” he challenged.
“Nothing,” Minnie replied, “he just surprised me by turning up and I went to my
room that’s all. Nothing untoward.”
Moody grit his teeth as he looked at her searchingly. He managed to grate after
a moment, “Go tidy your clothes off the floor.”
Minnie did and then stood before her guardian nervously.
“If you can’t be alone with the Professors the Headmaster could always make you
take classes,” Alastor warned softly.
Minnie flushed in resentment but Alastor’s face had changed and he said, “I
suppose to keep you entertained we might have some duelling practice.”
The girl turned to him in delight and without pause cast an instant darkness.
In the time it took for Moody’s mismatched eyes to adjust to the gloom Minnie
was several yards away and had transformed her eyes to canine ones.
Moody aimed his wand at her silently and a slender purple light slashed at her.
As he could now see her and it would not betray her position, Minnie allowed
herself to giggle and sidestepped smartly. Without warning an ugly rope of
convulsing Black power knocked Alastor to the ground. He gasped as the flesh
touched by the magic burned and he cast something red and violent back at her
that caused Minnie to voice a yelp.
“What have I told you about fucking Dark magic?” he roared as he stood.
Minnie had found herself on the floor and knew the duel had paused. “Not to?”
Alastor opened his mouth to give her a further tongue-lashing but noticed
Minnie was silently healing his melted skin as she sprung back to her feet.
“No Dark magic,” he simply snarled, and used a jinx to bowl her over. Minnie
smiled when she found herself sprawled on the floor once more as she knew Moody
had signalled that the duel had restarted. She did not look at him as she got
up from her knees and with an arc of multicoloured, transparent stars she
caused her duelling partner to hallucinate.
Alastor jumped and then snapped, “Finite incantem. Better.”
He froze her silently.
Dammit. Minnie could not break the spell as she did not know what it was, and
she knew better than to invade Moody’s mind to find out. Knowing she had lost,
she cast an irritated blue beam of light in his direction. Then she spelled,
‘You win’ above their heads.
Moody unfroze her then froze himself, flushing, as he felt the consequence of
the beam of pale blue light. “You monstrous whelp!”
Minnie smirked as Alastor gazed in horror at the risen fabric at the front of
his robes.
“Finite incantem,” he said, to no effect.
“The caster has to be the one to take it off,” Minnie explained sweetly.
He scowled at her. “TAKE it OFF.”
“The spell? Why, when I could allow you to go to class like that?”
Moody coloured further and his frown deepened. “Oh, you were definitely not
whipped enough as a child,” he growled.
Minnie’s smirk of childishly vindictive glee became blank. “That would be
crucioed, actually,” she replied, instantly removing the spell with all trace
of humour bled from her voice.
Moody stared. “Minnie…” he said compassionately.
The girl sneered in indifference. “…Sorry… I… it’s ok,” she said quietly. Then,
“Can we have another round?”
Alastor nodded, and this time forgot to mention Dark curses. They both had
frustrations to work out.
*
Minnie spent the rest of the day in the library researching defensive magic
–and the occasional filthy, vicious curse- until the last period of the day,
when the Gamekeeper, Hagrid, appeared to supervise her. Moody had forewarned
her that the man would.
Hagrid’s gift for soothing wild animals apparently incorporated Jessamine under
its umbrella and he persuaded her to take a break. The man took her down to his
hut where his large dog sniffed at her intently and slobbered over her. Minnie
fussed over the animal, and cuddled and kissed and cooed at and petted him, as
Hagrid led her indoors.
The girl took the seat he offered and then threw her arms around the giant dog
crooning, “Lovely, beautiful boy…”
“Like dogs, do yeh?”
Minnie looked up with a smile from the ugly but affectionate dog. “I adore
dogs. I love most animals.”
The Gamekeeper nodded wisely. “Animals are more straight-forward than people
most of the time.” Minnie tilted her head stiffly in agreement andHagrid said,
“I ‘spect it’s refreshing teh take animal forms. I’ve only ever seen yeh take a
form like your brother but I’d ‘spect someone like you can use different animal
forms. Would I be right?”
“Yeah,” Minnie replied, still stroking the excited dog. “Sometimes. A horse
when there’s the room.” Or a big cat, but there was no reason to mention that.
If she managed to make it out of the school alone it would be comfortable to
take such a form to survive indefinitely in the surrounding wild grounds. She
wouldn’t have to worry about being eaten by something.
More of the dog’s saliva coated her hand but she just laughed and murmured
teasingly to him. She butted him gently behind the ear and the big softy pushed
back at her weight with his tail thumping against her blissfully.
“Must be frustratin’ for yeh to be cooped up inside every day when your usual
form’s a dog,” the Gamekeeper commented astutely. “I could take you with my boy
here for runs in the grounds if yeh’d like, Miss Black.”
Minnie beamed. “That would be great… thank you.” That could help her gain an
idea of the overall layout of the place, and probably be even more useful for
the reason he mentioned. She hated being cooped up the way she was!
“Not a bother, child,”Hagrid replied. His eyes fell on a tuft of unicorn hair
he had stuck to his coat. “I could take yeh to the fores’ ta give yeh somethin’
to do?” he suggested.
Minnie looked at him in wide-eyed delight. “Please, I would like that.”
*
When his class finished Moody came down to Hagrid’s cabin to meet Minnie.
“How’s she been?” he asked of her behaviour.
“I’m right here and can talk for myself!” she snapped.
“But I’m asking Hagrid, girl,” Alastor replied shortly.
“Ah, Miss Black’s a pleasure, Alastor; a pleasure,” the Gamekeeper replied,
beaming. Moody looked at him in surprise.
“Really?”
“Aye,” agreed Hagrid brightly. “We spent some time in the fores’ and she was a
right help. The unicorns took to her near right away.”
Minnie laughed in triumph. She hadn’t expected that there was much left of her
purity for them to recognise. “See? I amn’t always a burden.”
Alastor raised his eyebrows. “And that’s why you weren’t at lunch this
afternoon?”
The girl made a face. “I’ll remember you threw that at me,” she said lightly.
Alastor laughed softly at her. “Thank you, Reubus.”
The Gamekeeper nodded and saw them out.
*
Alastor woke again to find Minnie standing with pleading eyes in his doorway
again.
“In you come, whelp.”
Gratitude radiated off her quietly as she slipped in beside him. Alastor laid
an arm across her shivering form. “More nightmares?”
She nodded tearfully and settled to sleep. Moody squared his body over her
protectively and watched until she slumbered.
 
He rocked her when the nightmares woke them both and soothed her back to sleep
each time.
*
Minnie reddened to find herself once more in Alastor’s bed. As before, he woke
as she attempted to leave.
“Minnie?”
“I’m here,” she said quietly.
Moody sat up to look at her. “How are you now?” he asked.
The teen’s face flamed. “I’m fine.”
“Alright,” Alastor said, “come give me a hug then you can shower first again.”
Minnie gave a wobbling smile, a tight, grateful hug, and went to perform her
morning ablutions.
 
“Are you coming to breakfast?” Moody asked as Minnie emerged in a long-sleeved,
short tunic and tall, soft boots. It was unusual to see her in her own clothes.
“I wasn’t going to,” Jessamine replied. She played with the Black insignia on
her tunic.
“You barely ate a thing last night; you skipped lunch; and you didn’t have
anything at breakfast yesterday either,” Moody protested.
“I’m not hungry; I hardly ever eat much,” Minnie replied.
“Come drink something at least so I know you’ve something in you,” Alastor
continued. The undernourished girl had almost reached seven stones in weight
since commencing living with him, but if she kept skipping meals it would not
do her general health or her moodswings many favours.
Minnie nodded her assent. “…Can I still sit at the Staff Table like this
though?”
“Rizzy!”
A house servant appeared with a pop. Alastor turned to her and asked, “Rizzy,
will you make sure there’s an extra seat at the Staff Table for Miss Black
please?”
 
The house servant bowed. “Rizzy would be happy to and she will do it at once,
sir!” she squeaked.
Alastor looked at Minnie. “Come to breakfast then, girl.”
She smirked. “Thought it was ‘whelp’?”
He sneered good-naturedly back at her. “Come to breakfast, whelp,” he amended.
 
She allowed him a smile and they made their way down to the Grand hall.
*
Alastor stiffened in his seat as he gazed towards Snape. Dumbledore had already
informed him the Professor would be expecting Minnie in his classroom for first
and second period. Despite what Minnie said Alastor was unconvinced about
allowing Minnie to be alone with Snape. However, the girl seemed nonplussed.
Moody glanced at her and watched her run her finger around the rim of the
goblet. A musical tone reverberated around her.
“Drink that?” he pleaded. He knew she was unhappy and that she did not deeply
trust the food. He was growing concerned by the way she insisted on merely
picking at everything he tried to persuade her to eat.
The girl swung her legs and light hit off of her silver stockings. They caught
Alastor’s attention for the umpteenth time and he deliberately removed his gaze
from Minnie’s thighs.
Jessamine did not look up but nodded and brought the instrument to her lips.
When she replaced it back on the table she heard the Headmaster continue to
Moody, “There is also a study period fourth. It might be advantageous for
Jessamine to mix with her peers and I would like her to attend all study
periods for this reason.”
“Which houses?” Minnie asked.
As Jessamine rarely deigned to open her mouth to him, Dumbledore peered over
his glasses at her in surprise and replied, “Mainly Slytherins and some
Gryffindors, but there are a small group of Hufflepuffs you can be introduced
to. They’re a very welcoming bunch.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Minnie said, not least because she wanted no ties
with what were probably illegitimates of a far worse blood standing than her
own, and added at Moody’s nudge, “thank you.”
“Not at all, if you’re quite sure,” Dumbledore returned in his ‘amicable’
voice.
“Why aren’t there any Ravenclaws?” asked Minnie.
“That entire house opted for study periods so they have them together for two
hours on Wednesdays.”
“Does the other class have a double period?”
“Thursdays,” Dumbledore supplied, “and the other Ravenclaw period is a Friday.”
“Alright,” said Minnie. She returned her attention to her goblet as the two men
continued the conversation. As she took another sip of water she allowed her
gaze to rake the students in the hall.
*
After breakfast the Potions Master led Jessamine down to the dungeons. She took
his sleeve unthinkingly; causing him to stiffen and Moody to scowl after them.
Perhaps it was his sour humour that made her become comfortable around Snape.
 
“Are you marking papers this morning?” Minnie asked, dropping his arm when he
led her into his classroom.
 
“Actually I thought I would examine your aptitude with potions,” the man
drawled. “Look in the ingredients cupboard then begin brewing a potion. You may
not use a textbook.”
She was actually being allowed to do something? “Does the potion have to be
ministry-approved?”
“For your age-group?” he enquired.
Minnie paused to glance at him in surprise. “No,” she said. “I meant did the
potion have to be common or legal?”
“Legal, yes,” replied Professor Snape, a muscle tightening in his jaw that
expressed his unhappiness at this. Perhaps he might be fun.
Minnie nodded intelligently at him and began setting up the ingredients and
heating the cauldron. Snape found himself watching curiously despite himself as
Minnie concocted something with a lot of blood, glittering dust and werewolf
sweat. She added so many ingredients he had no idea what she was doing, but she
was preparing them in such a skilful manner it seemed she did.
When Minnie poured the concoction into a beaker for his examination the alchemy
Professor found himself staring. What he thought he recognised could not
possibly…
“What do you believe you have given me?”
“I do not ‘believe’,” Minnie found herself replying scornfully, “I know.”
“What did you decide to brew?!” Snape snapped.
“As it’s the new moon and I had these ingredients I thought it would be
appropriate to create this: it’s the potion to prevent a werewolf mother from
passing on the curse to her children if the father is ordinary. If you had more
unicorn hoof and aracumantula thread I would have given you the more potent
version.”
“To prevent a werewolf child being born by two werewolf parents?” Snape tested.
Could she give the right answer?
“I’m not stupid; I’m aware that needs a lot of ‘felix’ and several ingredients
your cupboard does not hold. I meant the potion that would effectively treat
twins or a bigger litter. Since werewolves are more prone to multiple
children.” Yes, she could.
Everything Minnie had said was competent and the potion in Professor Snape’s
surprisingly steady hands was perfect. He stared, then snapped, “Very good, you
may now tidy away.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
When Minnie was finished Snape asked, “What would you like to do now?” He could
not remember the last time he had asked that question.
“Learn new potions,” she replied simply. When he turned to stare once more at
her she flushed and admitted, “Well actually I’d prefer Dark potions… but I’d
be happy with the closest I could get. Or at least useful potions. If you were
willing.”
This teenager, Snape realised, could very easily become his favourite person in
the world very quickly. “I’m willing,” he said. He found himself reaching for a
tome of potions far more advanced than anything his seventh years were capable
of.
When the bell to signal the end of second period had rang no one left his class
swifter than Professor Moody did. Moments later he strode into the potions
classroom to collect Minnie. Alastor did not like the way the potions Professor
leered at the girl in the slightest.
“What did you do together?” Moody asked the moment they were out of earshot.
 
“Brewed potions,” Minnie replied. Her honesty shone in her eyes, marginally
easing the tightness Alastor felt in his chest.
He asked, “What do you want to do now?”
Minnie worried her sleeve. “Would you, um, tell me about some of the scars?”
Moody stared.
Minnie blanched. “Or we could always, um-”
“No, it’s okay; we can talk about my scars,” Moody said softly.
In surprise, Minnie lifted her eyes from her knuckles up to him. His expression
was gentle. She offered him her other hand and they walked up to his suite of
rooms.
He took off his outer robes and sat down on the couch to take off his shirt.
Minnie’s eyes widened in shock and she scrutinised his wounds with open
curiosity. “How did you get this one?” She brought his gaze to a thick scar
that was so wide it looked like it should have been stitched but hadn’t been.
Many were like that.
Alastor told her the story in a soft growl. He pointed to others too,
explaining they were received in a similar way or at the same time as the
first.
Jessamine enjoyed not only the sight of Mad Eye’ skin but the intimacy of their
conversation. Wounds were something she understood, and it was fascinating to
hear stories that were so similar to her closest brother’s, yet so different.
“What about this one?”
He told her.
She traced an oddly–shaped disfigurement on his marked and mutilated skin.
“This?” And he explained it.
His body resembled several broken bottles’ worth of glass on wet sand and there
were more than enough blemishes to talk about; yet more still that he had no
memory of receiving. When Moody had to leave for class they had only discussed
a very small fraction of his wounds. Minnie reached up to hug him tightly when
he left. She adored him.
She spent the next hour perusing an illegal, thick hardback which explained
different ways of using her ability as a metamorphmagus to her advantage. The
chapter she was currently studying suggested ways of preventing others from
grasping oneself by such methods as producing barbs over the skin or by causing
the skin to become corrosively toxic, acidic or highly poisonous. As her free
time drew to a close Minnie turned down the latest page –a particularly nasty
idea which caused the person who touched the metamorphmagus’ skin to freeze and
bleed heavily from their pores- and made her way down to the classroom.
A group of Gryffindors were gathered at the front of the classroom close to the
door. As Minnie walked past him, The Saviour slid along the bench and said
welcomingly, “Sit here.”
Jessamine’s lip curled and without looking at him she pushed past. “Thank you,
but no,” she said distastefully.
He visibly flinched and his face reddened.
Minnie strode purposely to the back of the class where the Slytherins sat as
far from the Gryffindors as they could. “Is this space taken?” she asked
loudly. She wanted nothing to do with that waste of blood.
Draco looked up at her in surprise and gestured for one half of his guard to
sit elsewhere nearby. “Feel quite free,” he replied with a pleased smirk. “I
wouldn’t want you to have to mix with them.”
“The ‘saviours of the magical world’,” she replied in disgusted tones, “a half-
breed, a blood-traitor and a mudblood.”
“What a Slytherin way of thinking,” soothed Draco.
Minnie smiled benignly. “What a pureblood way of thinking, actually,” she
corrected. She was like him, but she had no concrete House loyalty.
“Oh, that is really it!” snapped Hermione, who was likely The Saviour’s most
loyal friend. “You’re not even on the Black family tree; I’ve seen it.”
“Actually I am, you silly, conceited, ignorant, filthy, little mudblood,”
Minnie replied quite calmly. Her tone grew frostier, “And if I ever need
information from you, filth, I will demand it. You would benefit from never
again forgetting that you have no right to force your petty opinions on my pure
ears.”
The red-headed teen beside the insulted girl stood angrily. “Don’t you speak to
her like that!” he bellowed. “You’re not even a student here so what right have
you got either! At least Hermione’s not a bastard!”
“Ron, sit down; it’s not worth it, honestly…”
Minnie laughed. “A pureblood bastard, Weasley,” she retorted easily, “and
considering your standing in the magical world I would not draw attention to
yourself. Legitimacy’s probably the only thing going for you. Someone who
commands no respect because of their blood-traitor name and dirt-poor
reputation would be wise to make themselves look better, not worse.”
“She has the measure of you, Weasel,” laughed Draco.
“Shut it, Ferret!” snapped Ron.
“Ron…” pleaded Hermione.
“Listen to your mudblood, blood-traitor. I can hardly believe how much she is
slumming it when she sits next to a pureblood!”
“Miss Black, that will be enough,” drawled Professor Snape as he drifted into
the classroom.
“Of course, some halfbloods are superior to others,” Minnie finished softly,
still loud enough to be heard in the now silent room.
*
When the period ended Minnie left quickly and pushed past the Golden Trio.
Draco smiled as the surrounding Slytherins snickered. “I like that girl,” Draco
said thoughtfully.
Pansy scowled.
*
That night, Minnie’s nightmares were particularly traumatic. Alastor was forced
to shake her violently awake from her tortured, writhing horror. Magic
thickened the air and even Alastor’s enchanted blue orb struggled to see
clearly. Minnie screamed and cried; even attempted to bite; and Alastor had to
put all his weight on her to subdue her desperate thrashing. It took all his
energy to hold her down but eventually she tired enough that he could murmur
soothing words to her.
Once she stopped fighting she started shaking. Minnie heard Alastor’s voice
through the fog of sleep and opened her eyes. She reached out weakly to her
guardian and clung on desperately. Minnie trembled so violently in his arms the
whole bed rattled.
Alastor could not comfort her for the next hour and a half, but out of sheer
exhaustion Minnie eventually fell into sleep.
The man held her tightly in his arms and fell into a light doze himself.
Forty minutes later he was woken by her scream. She cried and kicked and he
went through the same pain as before. When she woke, she appeared almost
bloodless. She soon vomited, and then cried so hard she was sick again.
Alastor held back her hair, stroked her, soothed her, and cleaned up the mess.
He wiped her mouth, changed her sweat-drenched nightshirt (his shirt), and held
her until she returned to sleep.
Quarter of an hour later the girl woke again. She was sick with fear again.
Alastor cleaned her up, comforted her, and soothed her back to sleep.
She woke up at intervals throughout the night until she begged for a vial of
belladonna. Alastor summoned it promptly but she was unable to keep any down,
and could only safely swallow so many doses.
Alastor stayed up with her the whole night.
“Professor?”
A very tired Professor Moody woke reluctantly and fixed his blue eye in the
direction of the voice. The Saviour was stepping hesitantly into the living
area.
“My bedroom,” Alastor called out to him gruffly.
The Saviour made his way towards him. “It’s almost ten: no one knows why you’re
not in class…”
He stopped dead as he entered the room. He saw the pureblood girl in Moody’s
bed. In Moody’s arms.
“We must have slept in,” Alastor grimaced. He swung his legs out of bed and got
up stiffly. He cast several quick ablution charms on himself and summoned his
clothes.
“You’re an adult,” The Saviour finally managed. The explanation the student
body had been given for Jessamine’s presence had not been ‘Mad Eye’s fuck toy’.
“Imagine that, Potter,” growled Alastor, “now don’t you bloody wake her!”
Minnie was already stirring. “Mad Eye?” The space beside her was warm, but
empty.
Her gaze fell on The Saviour and filled with dislike. “What are you doing
here?”
The Saviour pushed back his hair in agitation. “I got sent to find Professor
Moody –who’s late because for some reason you’re in his bed.”
Alastor squinted at him irritably. “Get your mind out of the bloody gutter,
Potter.”
The Saviour looked at him in surprise.
“We’re not sleeping together, half-blood, not that it’s any business of yours,”
Jessamine growled from within her nest of sheets.
Alastor glanced at her angrily. “And you really better watch your mouth!”
“Oh, screw me,” she muttered irritably. She turned away and pulled his pillow
over her head.
“You’re wearing his shirt,” The Saviour yelped.
“Mad Eye! Get this bloody half-blood away from me!” came Minnie’s muffled
exclamation.
Alastor paused and looked towards the bed. “You use that word like that again,
Minnie, and I’ll hurt you, girl.”
“‘Bloody’?” came the disembodied voice. “No you won’t. You’ve never hit me and
you’re not likely too. ’Fraid you’re one of the good guys Moody.”
“Being a good guy only means I’m the one who’s meant to turn you over my knee
to teach you right from wrong,” Alastor retorted grouchily before turning to
The Saviour. “You can get back to your class. Tell Albus I’ll be half an hour
and I’ll explain myself after the period.”
“Yes sir,” replied The Saviour. He left quietly enough to hear Alastor
continuing to berate Minnie as he left.
“I don’t care if he’s prying into your personal life Jessamine, I had better
not catch you using a slur like that again, do you hear?”
“Or else what?” Minnie challenged.
“I’ll punish you.”
“You won’t,” said Minnie casually.
Alastor sat down on the bed beside her. “I don’t want to hear you say anything
bigoted like that,” he said seriously.
Minnie sighed. “I hear you.”
Alastor raised his eyebrows for a moment then asked, “How are you feeling now?”
Minnie flushed and sat up, pushing away his pillow. “I’m better,” she replied.
He held out his arm and she nestled into him. “Thanks,” she said quietly.
He questioningly lifted his face from affectionately nuzzling her scalp.
“For being here for me,” she clarified. “For all that stuff you did for me last
night. And… for just hugging me and letting me be around you and stuff.”
Alastor resumed nuzzling, and held her a little nearer to him. “You look better
in my shirts anyway,” he said.
Minnie laughed into his shoulder and he pressed her close before he pulled away
and stood up. “I’d better teach my class now; will you be alright by yourself?”
Minnie nodded. “You can tell him I’m not going to the study periods,” she
muttered as she wriggled down under the quilt.
“Albus?”
“When you go talk to him,” she clarified.
“Alright whelp,” he agreed, and left.
*
“Minnie are you coming for lunch?”
“I still feel kind of rough,” said Minnie. “I don’t really want anything.”
Alastor strode through into his room. “You’re still in bed?”
“I was thinking about getting up actually.”
“Do you want me to bring you anything?”
“I told you; I’m fine.”
*
“Minnie! Have you got out of bet yet, girl?”
She was curled up in his armchair. “I’m dressed and everything: look,” she
remarked dryly.
Alastor limped into the living area and cheerfully tweaked the shoulder of her
stripey-sleeved jersey. “I see that.”
Minnie turned and raised her arms to envelope him in a caring embrace. He held
her tightly for minutes before he ruffled her currently-dark hair. She raised
her eyebrows then cuffed his torso to impress on him her lack of amusement.
Alastor only laughed then shifted her out of his seat. He pulled her back down
onto his lap.
“What did you do all day whelp?”
Minnie laid her head against his chest. “Slept. Read.”
“That’s all?”
Minnie raised her shoulders ruefully. “I puked a bit too. Rizzy gave me a
potion to sort it.”
“When was that?” asked Alastor as he tightened his grip on her in concern.
The girl looked tired. “Maybe three quarters of an hour after you checked in on
me at lunch.”
“How are you feeling now?”
Minnie shrugged again. “I’m alright… I just got thinking about… last night… got
panicky… puked a tiny bit.”
“Do you feel panicky now?”
Minnie’s eyes were wide. “No.”
“Do you want to tell me about what you were dreaming about?”
Minnie shook her head to Alastor’s soft growl.
At that moment Dumbledore wandered in.
Alastor stood up, sliding Minnie tenderly back into the seat and stood
protectively before her.
“Ah, Alastor; Jessamine,” the old man greeted benignly. “I just wanted to pop
in on you, considering the events of the day.”
Minnie turned her head away behind Alastor’s back. Without turning around he
reached behind himself and gripped hold of her hand, comforting her instantly.
Albus’ eyes twinkled unseen by the pair. Moody’s ability to make the wary teen
feel safer was better than reassuring. The girl needed someone and Moody seemed
to be ‘someone’ to her.
“Albus, may we talk?”
Dumbledore’s gaze flicked to Alastor’s immediately. “Certainly, my boy.”
Alastor inclined his head towards his charge. “Please go into the bedroom for
now, Minnie,” he requested.
Minnie did not protest and mutely left the room, taking a book from the table
to amuse herself with. Both men privately noted her lack of resistance and that
she had went to Alastor’s room in favour of her own.
Alastor spoke.
 
*
Much later that night Alastor hobbled into his room. “You’ve not eaten.”
Minnie lay sprawled on the bed with her face resting on her hand. She looked up
from her pages. “No.”
“You should have eaten something.”
“I’m not hungry.” Her voice was bored.
Alastor was feeling tolerant. “Oh, what are you then?”
“Nothing.”
Alastor raised his brows. “Actually,” he said as he moved towards the bed she
lay spread lazily upon, “you look something to me…”
“Yeah. What?” She dragged herself up into a seated position.
He took the book from her; marking it then setting it aside on the surface near
him. “You look tired.”
Minnie lowered her eyes.
“You were waiting up for me?”
Minnie did not look up but her posture stiffened.
“It’s late, girl.” Alastor reached down to pull her into his arms. “It’s time
you got to sleep now.”
Minnie resisted. “Mad Eye, I…”
“Just try to go to sleep Minnie.”
She pulled away. He let her.
“I’m scared,” she muttered into the space between them.
Alastor eased himself down beside her. “I know that, but your head was nodding
when I watched you with that book. It’s time for your bed whelp.”
Minnie made to go to her own room but Alastor pulled her back down. “You’re
sleeping here all night,” he told her.
“You’ll be here when I wake up,” Minnie murmured.
“Yes,” said Alastor even though it wasn’t a question.
*
To the surprise of them both Minnie slept rather soundly that night, waking
only once and settling almost immediately. Dawn woke the pair and beckoned the
usual routine. With a sigh Minnie stared at the man she had unintentionally
woken. He had cheerfully muttered something in her ear that displeased her.
“That’s not fair,” she scowled, “I don’t see why I have to go to classes today
just because I slept better…”
Alastor laughed at her protests and went to shower. “Tough, whelp!”
 
*
Minnie strode into the potions classroom looking more volatile than she truly
felt. One of Draco’s bodyguards was absent from his side, paired instead with
an equally vicious girl named Millicent, and as Minnie appeared in the doorway
Draco slid further to his end of the bench to accommodate her.
Pansy did not like it at all.
“Morning, Pureblood,” Draco greeted.
Minnie sat down beside him and smirked. “Morning, Blondie.”
Surprise shaped Draco’s features momentarily. No one was so familiar with him
except Pansy and he did not know whether to smirk back or scowl.
The entrance of the Golden Trio ceased his inner turmoil.
“Slut,” hissed Ron towards the back of the class. The Saviour said nothing but
narrowed his eyes in Minnie’s direction.
Draco stiffened and became poised to draw his wand. “Who the hell do you think
you’re talking to, Weasel?”
This time The Saviour was the one to speak. “Didn’t you know your little
girlfriend’s been sleeping with a Professor, Malfoy?”
“Shut your mouth, Half-blood, or I’ll hex it off for you,” Minnie returned
coldly.
The Saviour sneered, and Pansy relished what he said next. “Or what, I tell
your *master* what you just said to me and he spanks you?” He made to turn
away.
“How dare you speak to her like that, Scarhead!” Draco spat as he stood and
drew his wand.
Ron and The Saviour drew their own. “Mind your own business, Ferret!” Ron
yelled.
Minnie remained seated. “I’d put your wands away you silly boys,” she said
serenely.
“Or what?” demanded Ron.
“Or you and Mister Potter will find yourselves with detention, Mister Weasley.
Put your wands away and sit down –now!”
The Gryffindors seated themselves reluctantly.
Professor Snape sailed towards his desk and sat down. “Twenty points from
Gryffindor for poor behaviour,” he drawled casually. “Miss Black, will you come
to the front of the class please?”
“Yes, Professor.” Passing The Saviour, Minnie took the opportunity to whisper,
“He let me fuck him raw yesterday when you left…”
The Saviour frowned angrily at her as she stepped away.
Minnie stood before Snape’s desk. “Sir?”
Was that amusement in those black eyes? “I want you to study this for your next
time in my classroom,” he said sedately and handed her a textbook.
Minnie smiled at him. The suppressed laugh danced quietly in her eyes as she
took the book from him then she returned calmly to her seat.
When, as she walked past, The Saviour’s writing materials flew to the floor,
Snape was feigning looking down at the homework on his desk.
Minnie slid in beside Draco. “Thank you,” she murmured.
“Of course,” he replied just as quietly.
The rest of the class proceeded without event and Minnie left with her mind
full of complex potions: obscure poisons and their antidotes. Snape caught the
satisfied smile on her face as she left, but his mind worried at the comments
made by Potter. Minnie was certainly in Moody’s pocket but not sleeping with
him, surely? Exactly what did The Saviour mean by putting such an emphasis on
‘Master’? And *spanking*? Just what was being done to that girl?
Alastor met Minnie in the dungeons and she hugged him cheerfully. The potions
book dug into him. The Potions Professor watched, and narrowed his eyes.
When Minnie returned to Snape’s classroom her face was still flushed pink with
pleasure.
“Hi, Sir,” she said happily.
Snape scowled before nodding curtly in greeting. “You read it like I told you
to?”
“All of it,” she said, sounding satisfied. “What are you teaching me?”
Snape leant over the book with her and turned to a predetermined page swiftly.
They spent the rest of the lesson working in an amicable quiet together. At
lunch the Professor took her up to the staff table and Minnie seated herself
between him and Alastor, where she sat and picked moodily at her meal.
“Stop playing with that and eat it properly,” Alastor snapped.
Minnie looked at him, raised her eyebrows, then snatched a stick of celery and
bit into it violently. Unnoticed, the Potions Professor almost choked.
Alastor rolled his eyes at his charge’s actions and returned his attention to
his plate.
During this, Draco stepped up to the table. “Care to join us, Minnie?”
She smiled and looked towards Alastor for permission. He hesitated to send her
to the Slytherin table, but what harm could it do? Eventually he growled, “So
long as you make sure she actually eats something for once.”
Draco quirked an eyebrow but agreed and led Minnie to the Slytherin table where
his year made space for them at once. Pansy dropped down opposite them. “New
friend, Drakey?”
His colourless eyes sparkled at her. “Jealous, Panse?”
She placed her hand on her chest theatrically. “Utterly,” she declared. “I can
hardly contain it. How does it feel, Jessamine, to sit with the boy who
probably owns more beauty products than you and I combined?”
Minnie laughed. “I’m afraid, with his bone structure, he must need them.”
Draco choked most unaristocratically on his pumpkin juice but made no retort.
Pansy leaned over the table and in a conspiratorial stage whisper said to
Minnie, “And he wants in your panties as well!”
Minnie smirked at the pair of them. “And why would I allow that, supposing I
was wearing any?”
Pansy sat down with a look of astonishment that was only partly feigned. “You’d
turned down the Prince of Slytherin House?”
Minnie turned to Draco and looked him up and down in an exaggerated manner.
“I’m afraid he’s a bit too perfect for me,” she teased.
“Ahh,” nodded Pansy understandingly, “you just like them rugged and battle-
scarred, eh?”
Minnie smiled dangerously. “Oh, I didn’t say I didn’t also like the occasional
pretty boy,” she replied sweetly.
A slither of alarm flickered across Pansy’s face but she grinned widely and
continued with her game. “And what pretty boy do you have your eye on then, my
awful dear?”
“I couldn’t tell you that,” protested Minnie, her smile turning playfully
feral.
“Oh tell us…” pleaded Pansy.
“Well,” said Minnie, leaning in close, “don’t you think Blaise is gorgeous?”
Pansy’s expression almost caused her to laugh aloud, but Minnie may not have
felt like laughing so hard if she had caught the brief emotion that clouded
Draco’s expression.
“Eat your celery,” he muttered.
After eating, and obtaining permission, the Slytherins led Minnie down to their
common room. Pansy linked arms with Minnie, suddenly warmer now that she no
longer felt threatened.
In the common room there were several seats arranged around the large fireplace
in a spacious curve. Pansy gravitated immediately to the second most attractive
seat, expecting Minnie to sit herself beside her.
Minnie placed herself aristocratically on the best armchair by the fire.
The common room immediately hushed. “You can’t sit there,” Pansy warned in a
frantic hiss.
Minnie raised her eyebrows as Draco walked directly towards her.
“Move,” he said.
Minnie tossed her head back and smirked. “I do not think so Drakey,” she said
serenely. “I’m sure you would be more comfortable on the arm.”
Draco did not know whether to retort she should sit at his feet or reply that
she would look very pretty on his arm. So he said neither. “Only since you’ll
make this up to me later,” he returned and seated himself on the arm of his own
chair.
“Of course I won’t Sweetie,” Minnie teased. “So Pansy, tell me what Slytherin
has to offer…”
Pansy tried to smile. “You’re going to be Sorted?”
“Wouldn’t that mean I’d have to share a room?” Minnie laughed. “No, I’m happy
Houseless thanks.”
“You do share a room –with a Professor,” Draco sniped.
“Now Draco,” said Minnie mock-sternly as she turned to face him, “if you really
can’t behave I will have to send you out of the room so Panse and I can talk.”
“And you know what we’ll talk about, darling,” sneered Pansy cheerfully.
“This is mutiny!” Draco commented.
“You enjoy it Blondie; stops you getting displacent.”
Draco growled good-naturedly. “You’d never make a Slytherin.”
Pansy laughed. “Oh really? I think she’d fit in just fine.”
Draco cuffed Minnie. “Stop corrupting my Slytherins, you!”
Minnie’s eyes sparkled. “Or what?”
Draco’s own eyes glittered with promise and he murmured a threat.
Minnie tutted. “You just can’t behave, can you Drakey?” She pretended to sigh
then cheerfully forced him from his seat. “That’s it! Off you go to your room.
Pansy will be up to deal with you later.”
As Draco opened his mouth to protest he felt a palm connect with his posterior
smartly. “You heard what Minnie said, Draco, go to your room.”
Minnie didn’t bother to muffle her laughter at Pansy’s audacity or Draco’s
expression.
Retaliation was not immediate as at that moment Theodore Nott came in with
Blaise. Theo choked something bitterly and stormed up to the boy’s dorms.
Blaise made an irritated gesture and walked towards the fire. He flopped down
on a two-seater.
Pansy beamed. “What do you say, Minnie, does Draco deserve one last chance?”
“Only if you smack him again,” Minnie grinned.
Pansy stifled her friend’s indignant exclamation and continued, “Why don’t you
sit with Blaise and let Draco have his seat?”
Draco swallowed his protest and watched Minnie move over to sit with his rival
for her affection. That witch Pansy!
Blitzen was sitting feeling annoyed, but watched his friends’ antics with a
small smile. “These girls bullying you Draco?”
Draco growled.
“Cheer up Drakey, we love you really,” said Minnie. Draco glanced at her but
the warmth in her eyes and voice were devoid of lust. He cursed Blaise and
Pansy inwardly.
“I feel so lucky,” he drawled.
Minnie nudged the boy beside her, “What’s wrong with you, Grouchy?”
He jerked his shoulders and stifled a sigh. “Nothing. You’re Jessie, right?”
“Minnie,” Draco corrected curtly.
“Sorry,” said Blaise softly. “Minnie.”
“Yeah,” murmured Minnie.
“I’m Blaise.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen you around.”
“She follows you with her eyes this one,” teased Pansy. “She thinks you’re
sexy.”
Draco just about died inside as he watched Blaise digest that information.
Things obviously could get worse.
“Is that so?” Blaise purred.
“It may be,” Minnie returned lightly, “I suppose it depends on what you were to
do with that information…”
Blaise brought his face close to her’s. “You mean if I were to use it to my…
advantage?”
“That would be very Slytherin of you,” Minnie conceded. The boy’s breath was
warm and sweet on her face.
Draco slapped down the urge to punch Blaise and snarled at Pansy, “Hey
Parkinson, I want you in my dorm now.” Looking pleased, Pansy allowed him to
grab her arm roughly and storm upstairs.
Aware Draco was currently throwing Pansy down on green sheets, Blaise met
Minnie’s mouth in a passionate kiss as her limbs folded beneath him.
*
“I don’t care that Malfoy Jr got you to eat your lunch Minnie, I’m still
expecting you to have dinner. Now eat.”
Minnie turned kohl-rimmed eyes on Alastor rebelliously. “I’m not hungry...”
“I don’t care whether you’re hungry you will eat or so help me girl…”
Minnie made to pull away from the table. Silently, Moody took hold of her arm
firmly. “You will eat something or else I am taking you straight to your room
and you are getting ready for bed.”
Minnie glanced at him a little fearfully. “Bed?”
Alastor nodded stiffly. “And you will stay in your own bed all night,” he
warned.
Minnie moved her eyes to her plate looking subdued. The food on her plate was
plain due to surviving on very little whilst living in hiding. Madame Pomphrey
had pointed out very early on that despite Minnie’s pure blood, rich food
simply would not agree with her for a long time. Everything had also been cut
up into small pieces to persuade her to eat.
Feeling Moody’s grip on her arm slacken, Minnie took a large sip of water then
reluctantly reached for her fork.
Minnie had eaten three quarters of the food on her plate when she replaced her
glass on the table with a trembling hand.
“Minnie?” Moody looked at her in concern. The water had sloshed around and the
glass itself had nearly fallen over.
Minnie’s eyes had closed in distress. “Give me a minute,” she asked, leaving
the hall quickly.
Alastor waited anxiously, wondering what was wrong. He inhaled deeply, and
caught the scent of wolfbane that clung to the hair and robe of the potions
Professor beside him. Wolfsbane? It was close to the full moon. Starvation
could stop a girl’s monthly cycle and also… oh that stupid girl!
Moody got up rapidly from the table and raced to where he knew he would find
his responsibility. The scent of Dark magic hung in the air, almost making him
reluctant to enter the toilets.
She was standing with her head bowed at the sink washing her hands and
splashing her face with water. One of the cubicles behind them almost seemed to
crackle with evil.
“What the fuck have you been doing?” he demanded.
Minnie flinched, startled. “I-”
“Where’s your wand?” Alastor interrupted.
“In the rooms.”
She couldn’t possibly have performed magic strong enough to clog his pores
without use of a wand, could she? “What spell did you just use?”
Minnie told him, and Moody wondered for a moment if he would actually be sick.
The spell she had used was a brutal and old one which was designed to purge
werewolf spit from the blood. Minnie would rapidly throw up every toxin in her
body, and at least half a pint of uncontaminated blood, before her legs gave
out and her magic began to heal her.
He crossed the room in four strides and took hold of her right hand. The
knuckles were pink, as though her hand had recently been forced down her own
throat. Moody let go of Minnie’s hand immediately.
“Open your mouth,” he growled.
Minnie avoided his gaze but obeyed. Her breath was scentless, she’d already
charmed it, but the back of her throat was still raw and inflamed. The tiniest
spot of blood glued a few strands of her dark hair together.
“Madame Pomphrey,” he snarled. “Now.”
Shortly Minnie was sitting on a bed in the hospital wing being examined.
Alastor’s suspicion’s were confirmed.
Alastor gazed directly into Minnie’s eyes. When she squirmed and looked away he
grabbed her jaw and wrenched it back towards him. “Now you know the dangers,”
he grated, sounding dangerous himself, “you know to leave magic like this well
alone. You know the mortality rate of that spell! It makes your own blood come
up your throat so fast you can kill or brain damage yourself from oxygen
deprivation. You even know that damaging your stomach lining can kill you, that
tearing it lets your stomach acid burn up your internal organs.”
When Minnie didn’t answer he roared, “Don’t you?!”
Minnie cringed. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I know that… damaging my stomach lining can… kill me.”
“So you knowingly put yourself in danger?”
Minnie was silent for a moment.
“Did you knowingly put yourself in danger?”
“Yes!”
“And you know that putting yourself in danger is directly disobeying me.” That
had been a lesson taught very soon into taking the brat as his ward, as she had
been focused on reckless acts that she hoped would help her escape.
“Yes,” Minnie replied.
Moody let go and shut him eyes in thought. He breathed out through his nose
angrily. “Alright,” he said at last.
Minnie glanced at him fearfully.
“You are going to go to your room and then I am going to punish you for your
behaviour.”
“Yessir,” Minnie whispered.
Moody nodded at Madame Pomphrey then strode towards his quarters. Minnie
avoided the nurse’s eyes and walked swiftly to keep up with him.
Alastor said nothing but the door to their rooms slammed unaided behind his
charge.
“I-,” Minnie began.
Moody looked at her furiously. She flushed and closed her mouth unhappily.
“Bedroom,” Alastor ordered.
Nodding, Minnie went to her room and knelt oddly on the floor. “What the hell
are you doing?” Moody barked.
Minnie flinched. “Aren’t you going to curse me?” she murmured.
Moody’s expression darkened. “Do I look like a fucking Dark wizard, girl?”
She coloured and stared at the floor. “No sir.”
He turned around and sat down on the bed. “Come here and pull down your jeans.”
“Sir?” Minnie bravely glanced up at him.
“Unless you feel like further punishment I suggest you do not continue to
disobey me Jessamine,” Alastor warned.
Minnie promptly obeyed.
Alastor pulled her closer then pushed down her briefs. The girl blushed and
lowered her face away from him as the cool air hit her exposed flesh. This was
not erotic. Mad Eye was livid with her.
He pulled her down onto his lap with more gentleness than she expected. His
hand rested on her skin and Minnie felt a thrill of trepidation course through
her. She pressed her eyes closed.
“You understand why I’m going to punish you, don’t you?”
“Yes sir,” Minnie murmured.
“And you agree that you deserve to be punished?”
Minnie squirmed in embarrassment but Alastor held her still. “I agree,” she
choked out.
“Alright,” said Moody calmly. Without warming he raised his hand and brought it
down hard on Minnie’s unprotected bottom. Minnie gasped in surprise at the heat
and the pain. Alastor brought down his hand again. Minnie jerked in his lap but
remain silent.
Alastor brought down his hand, now on an unmarked area this time.
He brought his hand down on a different area again.
Again he brought down his hand, and this time he struck the skin where her
buttocks curved into her thighs. Minnie bit back the wince. She willed herself
to block out the pain. Moody’s palm connected with her flaming skin and she
found herself kicking a little. Minnie fought to remain still as she was
punished -determined not to debase herself further. It should have been easy to
remain casual due to all the rounds of cruciatus she had endured as a child but
every time Minnie felt that hard hand it was hard not to forget her resolve. It
hurt! It hurt so much!
It occurred to Minnie that she was in *pain*. Mad Eye was *hurting* her.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Minnie asked.
“I’m spanking you,” Alastor replied without pausing. “Did that Dark magic addle
your brains?”
“Did it addle *yours*?” Minnie retorted. “Beating me is no better than cursing
me.”
Alastor slowed. “I’m not beating you. I’m spanking you.”
“You think there’s a difference?” Minnie sneered.
Alastor rested his hand on her reddened skin. “You think over my lap is the
best place to take that tone with me?”
“What you going to do, hit me?” Minnie drawled.
“I’m trying to teach you that the magic you used today gets you hurt,” Alastor
said.
“What you’ve taught me today is that I was wrong to trust you,” Minnie said.
“Can you think of an alternative way for me to deter you from repeating today’s
behaviour?” Alastor asked. His hand remained on her skin.
“Hurting me is never going to stop me from doing what comes naturally,” Minnie
said coolly.
Alastor sighed. “Get up. Let’s pretend that you responding in the normal way to
getting spanked comes naturally to you.”
Minnie stood and gave him a look of casual hatred. “I-I-I’m sor-sorry,” Minnie
whimpered falsely.
Alastor pretended not to see the look in her eyes. “Shhh, whelp, I know,”
Alastor murmured into her as she ‘cried’, “I know.” He rubbed circles into her
back. “My good, good girl,” he praised, “it’s alright.”
Eventually Minnie’s faux sobbing became a little too difficult to fake: her
heightened emotions forced a few genuine sobs past her lips. She quickly
quietened. Moody continued to hold her for a few more moments before pulling
her back from him and glaring at her sternly. She sniffled miserably and looked
up at him with red rimmed eyes. Her lashes had formed wet spikes. Moody’s
expression did not alter marginally. “I do not regret punishing you in the
slightest,” he scolded, “and you had better understand I will not hesitate to
spank you again should I think you deserve it.”
Minnie flushed in resentment and murmured, “I wo-.”
“Don’t tell me that,” Alastor warned, “because if you break your word I am
going to go to town on your sorry little arse, understood?”
Minnie swallowed a retort. “U-understood.”
Moody sighed and pulled his charge against him. “You’re not a werewolf,
Minnie.”
Minnie glanced at him in surprise. “I… know.”
“Nothing’s going to happen on the full moon.”
“I know.”
“And even if Lupin had bit you I would not condone your behaviour. The spell
that you used has an extremely low survival rate. You could very easily not be
in the game anymore right now. Not to mention what would have happened to you
if you had still changed with hardly any fat resources…”
“I know.”
“So what the bloody hell were you thinking?!” Alastor demanded.
“I was just scared …I wanted to make sure…”
“You told me you understood you were not-”
“But just because I know doesn’t mean I can get rid of this little bit of doubt
in the back of my head!” Jessamine retorted.
“Minnie, don’t shout at me or you will be facing the floor again.”
Minnie coloured. “Sorry.”
“I should think so,” Alastor replied sternly. His voice softened. “Is there
anything else you think you should talk to me about?”
“No sir.”
“Alright,” said Moody, “in that case you are going to strip down and get into
this bed and I don’t want to hear a peep out of you the whole night, you got
that whelp?”
Minnie agreed tearfully. He was abandoning her.
“I’ll come and get you when I’m going to bed,” Alastor continued softly.
“Thank you,” she whispered. He pulled her into a short embrace before leaving.
She pulled up her boxers, gasping as they brushed her smarting flesh, then
kicked off her jeans and pulled her top over her head. There was no way she was
going to be able to lie on her back. He’d just fucking thrashed her.
Minnie stood and crossed the room to close the door behind him, pressing her
shoulders against it to keep it closed. Minnie blinked hard to stop from crying
because not only was she humiliated but she hurt badly. Alastor had not just
slapped her body, he had slapped her trust and her soul. He had no idea of how
scared she was of being incontrollable like Lupin.
How was she going to cope at bedtime?
*
For the next few days Alastor was quite short with her. Although he still
cuddled her at night, he was very impatient about the promptness with which she
obeyed him, and allowed her no slack. The only time Minnie had tried to return
to the cheeky banter of before Moody had issued her already sore rear with a
stinging slap and sent her to her room for an hour. Mealtimes were hell, and
Minnie had not been allowed to eat with the Slytherins once. Draco had came up
to the table every day, but each time Alastor had made Minnie explain she
couldn’t as she was being disciplined. Her face burned almost as red as the
cheeks she was forced to sit on during these exchanges, but the blonde had not
been a jerk about it yet.
It truly bothered Minnie that Alastor seemed so angry with her and seemed to
ignore her all day. The confusion and pain from her situation clouded her
thoughts during everything. Minnie had miscalculated: Alastor had shattered the
trust he had built between them and she should have seen it coming. Of course
she shouldn’t have trusted him. Now she was paying for her idiocy, because she
missed Alastor.
Breakfast had been hell. Then Moody had got an elf to sit in with her first
period and the servant had even been ordered to walk her right into the potions
classroom.
“MINNIE!”
Minnie looked up in alarm at the rage in Snape’s voice. He grabbed her roughly
by the neck and waved an incantation at her potion just as it began to vomit
angry balls of smoke.
“I can hardly believe your carelessness!” he roared. Snape swung her around to
face him. “You know that potion demands great care! What were you doing? You
weren’t paying attention at all. Neville Longbottom would not have made those
mistakes!”
Snape’s fingers were beginning to cut into Minnie’s neck very painfully. “You
could very easily have got yourself killed,” the potions Professor snarled. “I
let you work with these volatile potions because you are capable. You almost
blew yourself up with sheer carelessness!”
Minnie remained silent throughout his tirade. Her shocked eyes were round and
fearful as she gazed up at the livid Professor.
Snape looked directly into her gaze. “You cannot afford to make mistakes at all
with this potion and I am finding it difficult to believe you could have made
mistakes of this magnitude… I can hardly believe you are responsible of such
thoughtlessness!”
The man let go and brought his hand near his face as he fought to control his
anger. After a long pause he was finally able to look at the pale girl. “I will
not have such recklessness from you,” he snapped quietly.
Minnie did not know how to react. She wasn’t even sure what had happened. What
Snape was accusing her of was fair, however. She could not even remember what
she had been dropping into the potion. Her mind had entirely been on Moody’s
cold indifference.
“Go stand by my desk,” Professor Snape hissed. He turned and walked towards
some bookshelves with the intent of calming the teen with busy work.
Minnie obeyed without argument, but tripped on poorly cut potion ingredients
that had fallen to the floor when Snape had pulled her from her workstation. As
she stumbled Minnie slammed herself painfully into Severus’ desk.
Severus turned at the noise of collision and Minnie’s stifled resultant
whimper.
“Try not to damage anything,” Severus sighed.
“Sorry,” Minnie whispered.
Severus frowned. The pain in the girl’s voice was disproportionate to the blow
his desk has dealt her. “Are you quite alright?”
Minnie nodded stiffly.
Severus crossed the room, avoiding the mess on the floor as he did so. “What
did you hurt?”
“Nothing much, just my butt,” Minnie muttered.
A thought came to Snape unbidden: hadn’t the Potter brat been taunting Minnie
before about a spanking? Had Minnie already been hurt recently?
Jessamine stepped away from the desk stiffly. “Don’t look so worried,” she
said.
Words escaped Severus’ mouth before he could stifle them. “Take down your jeans
Miss Black.”
The girl lifted her head in alarm. “Pardon?”
“Calm yourself, I want to check your tailbone is undamaged. Unfasten your jeans
and fold them down to the botton of your hips,” Severus said, feeling awkward.
Minnie gave him a strange look but hesitantly obeyed. Severus could immediately
see that the protruding flesh near her tailbone was scarlet.
“I need to touch you to check nothing’s broken, is that okay?” Severus asked
quietly.
Minnie nodded. “Sure.” She flinched when Severus’ cold hand brushed her skin
but she allowed the contact.
Severus moved his hand over the reddened skin carefully. “How much does this
hurt?” he asked. “Nothing feels damaged.”
“That’s okay, just a bit tender,” Minnie murmured. “Thank you.”
Severus stepped back. How could he see the rest of her skin legitimately? What
if Moody had not left bruises on her? “You can fix your clothing now,” Severus
said.
Minnie straightened too quickly and stiffened, before ignoring the pain and
standing properly. She reached for her waistband roughly and failed to hold
back the resulting cry.
“Stop,” Severus said. “You didn’t touch your tailbone.”
“Oh, that’s from earlier,” Minnie said, her hands resting on her jeans. “That’s
fine.”
“It sounded painful. What happened?” Severus pressed.
Minnie flushed. “Nothing.”
“Miss Black,” he drawled softly, “when was the last time someone hit you?”
Minnie shifted uncomfortably, feeling exposed. “Hit me?”
Severus swallowed, adjusting a word in his mouth. “Has... has Moody spanked you
recently?”
“You mean properly?” Minnie asked awkwardly.
“Properly?” Snape repeated.
“Um, as in a full, proper... um... spanking, or are you including quick slaps
too?”
The colour of Snape’s complexion altered slightly. “Both,” he said gently.
Minnie was currently feeling very grateful that the Potions Professor was
unable to see her face whilst he had her so positioned. “I… I was pretty bad a
few days ago, um, but I’ve got a few slaps since then,” the girl replied in a
mortified voice.
“Pretty bad?” questioned Snape.
“I… do we need to talk about it?”
The tenderness of Minnie’s skin persuaded Snape not to swat her rear for that
comment. “Yes, I do believe we need to discuss this,” he said shortly.
“Well,” sighed Minnie, “just don’t get mad, okay?” she pleaded. She felt
ridiculous having this conversation.
Snape stared at the back of her head for a moment. “Speak.”
Minnie flushed and ducked her head further before saying in a rush, “Mad Eye
caught me using dangerously Dark magic on myself.”
“Such as what? To what purpose?”
 
Minnie expanded. As she did Snape felt himself paling. “Damn werewolf,” he
muttered of the unfortunate Lupin. Sighing, the Professor squeezed the bridge
of his nose. “And the other times?”
 
“That I was sick?”
“That you were struck.”
Minnie appeared to give a noise of distress.
“Miss Black?”
“He’s really mad with me,” Minnie blurted. “And he hardly looks at me and
anytime he speaks to me… It’s just… I really…”
Minnie was quiet for a while. “It’s like he hates me,” she whispered.
Snape sighed. “He doesn’t hate you.”
Minnie turned to look at the man with pain-filled orbs. “How do you know?”
Snape had little practice in replying to such comments. He hesitated before
saying firmly, and feeling quite inadequate for his words, “Trust me. I just
know.”
Minnie sniffled and buried herself in his robes. Snape froze. He had no
practical knowledge about what he was expected to do in this situation
whatsoever. Firstly, the girl was crying and expecting comfort from him, and
secondly, she was cuddling him. Him. Scary Potions Professor, renowned Death
Eater and head of the same house whose ghost was the Bloody Baron -and had
produced Tom Riddle. Yet she was mewling into the front of his robes like she
thought he was some sort of Hufflepuff or something.
And she had not pulled up her jeans yet. How could he ask her to dress herself
whilst she was crying without seeming like he was more interested in her open
fly than her tears?
Crying was not something Snape had a great deal of experience of. He had seen
plenty of Death Eater victims cry, and he had cried plenty times as a boy from
spent too much time in the company of his despicable father, but apart from
that he had not really cried since the night he had returned to Dumbledore all
those years ago.
What had Dumbledore done? Well, he had helped him off the floor of course, but
Minnie was standing against his chest. Dumbledore had pulled him against him,
had he not? He had wrapped his arms around him and held him. He had also
murmured soothing words and rubbed circles in his back and even kissed his
head.
Well forget that. Holding the girl would prove disconcerting enough without
kissing her, particularly in her current state of undress. Snape had never
kissed many people, apart from Lucius who rather liked kissing, and Sirius, who
had been an idiot but had once been a very good kisser. Snape had slept with a
rather larger amount of people, but hadn’t really bothered to kiss them.
Albus had not given him that sort of a kiss anyway. It was not the kind of kiss
Snape had given his Lord’s robes either. That was a rather reluctant, debasing
thing whereas Snape remembered Dumbledore comforting him feeling rather more
warm and… well comforting really. Rather like a kiss from Lily. Actually,
nothing like a kiss from Lily. A kiss from Lily was rather different from a
kiss from Albus, even the sort of kiss she had given him after they grew up and
she decided she would rather just give Those kisses to Potter.
Snape enveloped Minnie in his arms rather stiffly. She clung on to the wet
front of his robes for a few more moments then slid her arms down to encircle
his waist. Damn. Snape had not expected her to do that. Did it affect what he
was meant to do?
Hesitatingly, Snape rubbed the circles in her back in a faithful imitation of
Dumbledore’s actions.
It seemed to work. Eventually her body stopped trembling and she quietened.
Snape expected her to let go when she stopped crying but she merely clung on to
him calmly. He waited for what seemed to be a very long while but she showed no
signs of moving.
Maybe the kiss was important then? Was she waiting for him to do that? Or did
he have to say something? He didn’t have a bat’s thought in hell what he was
supposed to say to a crying teenage girl. The only conversation he had ever had
with such a creature involved saying to her: ‘I’m sorry for calling you a
mudblood…’ and that did not hold much relevance here.
Snape pressed his lips very softly to the back of Minnie’s head and murmured,
“Pull up your jeans now.” As he spoke, he pulled away from Minnie gently.
Minnie obeyed with a quiet wince and stepped back. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Snape drawled back with discomfort. As he spoke Moody
appeared in the doorway.
“Alastor, I wish to speak to you,” Snape said. His customary sneer had bled
from his voice.
Alastor seemed to notice as he turned both eyes on the other man briefly.
Oh shit. Oh shit. Snape was going to tell Mad Eye, wasn’t he? Minnie’s hand
found the Potions Professor’s.
On feeling her hand, Snape looked down into the fearfulness of Minnie’s gaze.
“You may relax Miss Black,” he drawled, and squeezed her reassuringly before
letting go.
Snape took the other Professor aside. He could see no easy way to do this, so
he might as well throw himself into the deep end. “Miss Black has informed me
she gave you reason to discipline her recently.”
Alastor’s natural eye widened. “Yes.”
Minnie walked towards the mess on the floor and knelt to clean it up. Moody’s
enchanted eye could still follow her but from this vantage point she could
avoid meeting his gaze.
Severus continued speaking to Moody. “While I am making no comment on your
methods of disciplining her, would you please enlighten me to what methods you
believe you have used?”
“I discussed with her why she was being punished. I spanked her and afterwards
we discussed her motivations for what she did. I then sent her to her room. She
is also expected to remain under my supervision during mealtimes –although,
concerning what she was doing, that’s not only a punishment so much as I want
to keep an eye on her eating,” Moody growled.
“And apart from these restrictions, have you done anything else that Miss Black
would find upsetting?”
Alastor considered how short-tempered he had been with Minnie recently. “I
don’t understand…”
“Do you feel that asides from what you have mentioned things between you are as
they were before you caught her acting unacceptably?”
Alastor paused. “I’ve been sterner with her. Stricter.”
“Miss Black tells me she feels as if,” Snape curled his lip, “well, her direct
quote was that she thinks you ‘hate’ her. She is very worried that she has
damaged the closeness of her relationship with you. She mentioned you do not
look at her or talk to her as much as usual.”
Moody glanced over at his ward. “She thinks I hate her?”
“She was very distraught about that, yes.”
“I don’t hate her.”
“Would it be possible to inform her of that fact then?” Snape sneered.
Alastor’s gaze snapped back to the other man. “Why did she tell you this?”
“I have no idea, I don’t view myself as the obvious agony aunt either,” Snape
snapped. “It seems she was just so upset she had to tell someone.” After nearly
blowing up the classroom of course.
Moody scrutinised him for a moment. “You know the front of your robes are wet?”
“Really?” Snape drawled, “I had no idea. Perhaps it has something to do with
being cried all over by the teenage girl you deeply upset.”
“She cried on you?” Alastor sounded horrified.
“You’ve obviously traumatised the wits from the girl. She seemed to think I was
the perfect candidate to soak.”
Moody managed a smile at that. “Thank you for looking after my girl, Snape.”
“It was for purely selfish reasons I assure you. I have no desire to be blown
up by a distraught girl attempting to brew potions.”
Moody sighed. “I’m just worried about what will happen to her if I can’t keep
her from hurting herself…”
Snape became alarmed. Since when did Moody ask to be consoled by him too? “Bear
in mind she has spent most of her life with only that insane house slave for
company, and after that she had Sirius Black fresh from Azkaban as her only
human companion. You should expect her to be somewhat crazy until she becomes
used to life here.”
Alastor nodded and turned to call Minnie to them. He threw his arms around her
and held her tightly. “I promise I don’t hate you, okay?” he murmured into the
girl’s hair.
When Minnie was comfortable letting go of him she stepped away and pulled the
Potions Professor down to her height to kiss his face gratefully. Few people
ever cared enough to take a selfless interest in her welfare. “Thank you, sir,”
she said warmly. Alastor watched with a mixture of affectionate horror and
humour. His colleague seemed appalled. Also terrified.
“Sirius Black escaped Azkaban; evaded dememtors; outwitted the Ministry –and
was killed by drapery,” the Potions Professor sneered. “So glad his
sensibilities reside in this one.”
Minnie merely giggled at this and pulled away from the man. “Thanks.”
“That was not a compliment,” Snape grumbled.
Minnie smirked. “You love me really.”
His eyes narrowed. “Mad Eye,” he growled, “remove your charge before I poison
her!”
“Alright there whelp, looks like you’ve done enough here,” Alastor said. “We
can go now, yes?”
Minnie gave him a wary look but took his hand. “If you hurt me again I’ll kill
you,” she said easily.
“Don’t give me an excuse to,” Alastor replied.
Minnie pulled her hand away.
Alastor looked at her. “Minnie... I spanked you because you scared me half to
death. If you can do your best not to make me scared for you I’ll do my best
not to take my hand to you.”
“Or anything else?” Snape interrupted.
Alastor scowled but nodded. “Or anything else,” he said honestly.
“You broke my trust,” Minnie said baldly.
“You broke mine,” Alastor replied. “Can you stomach a truce?”
“She’ll try, because if you make her cry on me again I’ll poison you slowly,”
Snape said. “Get out of my classroom, both of you. I have far more pressing
concerns than your tiffs.”
*
At lunch Draco valiantly appeared once more at the staff table to request
Minnie’s presence at his own. She gave him a weak smile but remained as tense
as had become usual.
“She may not,” Alastor growled, “but you are welcome to join her here under my
eye.”
Snape glanced at the trio. Alastor was trying. To the surprise of many, the boy
agreed. He was given a chair and sat beside a silent Minnie, who warily
observed the males on either side of her.
Draco sat politely and waited for Minnie to fill her plate. Realising his
hesitance, Minnie quickly placed some food on her plate to allow Draco to serve
himself.
The blonde served himself and waited patiently again.
Minnie forced herself to take an idle bite of her meal whilst trying to ignore
the unsettling attention she could feel radiating from Moody.
Draco began eating. Minnie hoped he would start a conversation; she was
beginning to feel sick from sitting in silence.
Draco seemed to recognise her awkwardness. He began asking non-threatening
questions which Minnie responded to thoughtfully. She slowly started to relax.
Draco smiled more and more as they conversed.
Minnie found herself contributing more to the conversation and asking Draco
questions. She began joking lightly, exhibiting the wry, cynical-yet-playful
sense of humour Draco had become fond of. He laughed genuinely and responded
with witticisms of his own.
“Are you doing anything next period?” Draco asked at the close of the meal. His
jaw was schooled coolly as befitting a pureblood, but his eyes were bright and
animated. “I’m free then.”
“That’s Mad Eye’s decision,” Minnie said regretfully.
“May we, Professor?” prompted the blonde politely.
Alastor looked over his charge. “Only if she will behave?”
Minnie answered with a blush and an affirmative.
“I suppose that will do then,” Moody growled. “However,” his eyes fixed
dangerously on the Malfoy heir, “you will be answerable to me if there is
anything questionable about the actions of either of you, understood?”
Draco murmured a respectful, “Yes, Sir.”
At the end of fifth period Minnie met Draco at the end of the corridor that led
to his class. He smiled warmly at her and they fell into step. “Since you’re
not allowed on the grounds, where do you wish we go?” he asked. Don’t say the
dungeons because I don’t want to have to dispose of Blaise.
“I don’t mind really.” It’s just nice to be with you.
Somehow they ended up in the room of requirement after a lot of wandering the
corridors aimlessly. The room had provided two stuffed green armchairs and a
sofa of similar design all arranged around a pleasant-looking and vast
fireplace.
Minnie took the initiative of claiming the sofa and when Draco placed himself
beside her she curled into him. Surprised but smiling, Draco coiled his arm
around her. For moments he said nothing before asking, “Just what did you do
anyway?”
Minnie immediately knew what he meant. “Something not up for discussion,” she
replied in a voice that brooked no argument.
Draco blinked. “Alright. What is up for discussion?”
Minnie made a face. Anything impersonal would be just fine. She ran off a list
of possible topics. “Quidditch. Alchemy. Slytherin. Dumbledore. The lake…”
Draco considered for a moment. “Do you play?”
“Quidditch?” Minnie’s lips twisted into a wry grin. She had had little
opportunity to practice such pastimes during her childhood. “I am a really
terrible flyer,” she admitted ruefully. “You play though, don’t you?”
“I’m seeker for my house,” Draco said slightly smugly. “What are you good at?
You seem good at potions; old Severus seems to like you.”
Minnie nodded. “I’m good at anything that’s widely written about.” She grinned.
“‘Old Severus’?”
Draco grinned at his slip of tongue. In front of Minnie his lapse of proper
manners did not seem terrible. “I would probably not quote me on that.”
Minnie smirked. Her eyes glinted with personality in a way that fascinated
Draco. She teased, “Blackmail material!”
He laughed. “Don’t you dare. My godfather would gladly have my ass.”
Minnie giggled. “Now there’s an image.”
Horror crossed the teen’s face. “Oh…” he groaned in disgust. “Bad Minnie!”
“Aw, Snapey’s lovely really,” Minnie continued with a smile.
“My godfather is an absolute bat,” Draco protested.
“Well he’s nice to me,” Minnie said. She looked at Draco’s face and snickered;
her amusement quickly became full-bodied mirth.
Feeling put upon but not too upset by it, Draco prodded Minnie’s side. “Enough
laughing at me, thank you very much. What about embarrassing you now?”
“Embarrassing me?”
“Yeah. What was that all about in ‘Snapey’’s class when the Weasel decided to
call you a slut?”
“I have no idea Ferret.”
“Ferret my arse,” said Draco. “Potty was warbling on about you getting spanked
by your master.”
Minnie retorted with a witticism before the memory of why she had been caught
in her guardian’s bed could chill her. “Well I’m sure it could be arranged for
Pothead to announce it if we persuaded the Dark Lord to paddle your’s.”
Draco’s lip curled at the joke. “Minnie you are disgusting.”
“Oh I don’t know,” she teased, “I think Tom Riddle was kind of hot…”
“Minnie,” said a very suffering Draco, “please never repeat that. Ever.”
“It’s not like I said The Gamekeeper…”
“Uh! Stop! As if I want to think of that oaf-”
Minnie cuffed Draco’s leg warningly. “Be nice. The Gamekeeper’s a lovely man.”
“Minnie!” Draco howled. He was amused... but also... disturbed. How could he
trump her and take control of the conversation? “Fine! I fancy Albus Dumbledore
and get turned on by his knobbly knees and like it when he ties me up with his
beard. Are you getting nasty pictures yet?”
“Oh Drakey I am gonna be sick,” snorted Minnie. “That’s just wrong.”
“And the Dark Lord isn’t?” Draco asked calmly.
Minnie rolled her eyes. “If those were my only options? I’d do Snakeface.
Totally. Anyday. Urgh! Dumbles! You very sick boy.”
Draco shook his head. The choice between the two was worthless: both wizards
were a disturbing option. “Have you noticed how he calls everybody ‘my boy’? It
irks me. I just want to grab his wand and beat the patronising fool to death
with it!”
“How very mudblood of you,” Minnie said drolly. “I just want to beat him to
death. Then curse him.”
“What has he done to you?” Draco teased, interested by the steel behind her
playful tone.
Minnie grimaced and shook her head. “…What about you? What do you think about
him?”
“I don’t know really,” admitted Draco. He looked at her. “There’s a lot you
don’t talk about, isn’t there?”
“Adds intrigue,” said Minnie.
***** Half-Blood Man *****

Author's notes: Severus attempts to navigate life with Minnie and her altenate
ego.
===============================================================================
Harry Potter is © J. K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic, and all others
involved.
 
As term went on Minnie found herself settled into routine at the school:
sharing her time between Slytherins, their sour head of house, Alastor Moody
and Hagrid. She quite enjoyed making life as stressful as possible for the
golden trio for reasons known only to herself. Generally she could be found
joined at the hip of either Draco or Pansy, if not always both, basking in the
conflict achieved that day.
 
Minnie let herself into the common room and took her seat on the arm of Draco’s
chair. He curled his arm around her and returned to his conversation with the
rest of the room’s occupants, who had become accustomed to her presence. This
was how Minnie spent most afternoons when she had returned from her run in the
forest with the gamekeeper. She idly carded her fingers through Draco’s hair as
she observed the discussion with amusement.
 
Part of Draco thrilled at this touch, whilst part of him was frustrated that
there never seemed to be a sexual motivation for Minnie’s clear fondness of
him. Pansy watched the interaction with equally mixed feelings: watching Draco
enjoy another girl’s touch was irksome, but it was apparent that Minnie’s side
of the relationship was chaste.
 
“Miss Black.”
 
There were two voices that could halt the chatter of even the most revered
heirs in Slytherin. Everyone turned warily to see the black clad Potions
Master.
 
Minnie got up quickly and crossed the room. Snape’s tone was strange and she
wanted to take him away from the cheerful mood and gossipy natures of her
peers. She kept her concern in her eyes and not her voice as she asked, “Sir?”
 
The man pinched the bridge of his nose, his black eyes mere bright slits. “Come
with me,” he said shortly. Minnie said an abrupt goodbye to her friends and
quickly followed. Her hand found Snape’s in an attempt to comfort him, to the
man’s infinite consternation.
 
Minnie could feel Snape’s short nails digging into her hand as he led her
swiftly through corridors and upstairs.
 
“Sugar quills,” Snape snapped, his glare directed at a stone gargoyle before
them. The statue gave Minnie a sympathetic look as it obliged, then the girl
found herself dragged along to the headmaster’s office.
 
She felt worry gnaw a little at her stomach and began to ask, “What..?”
 
Minnie’s guardian shushed her. She did not let go of the potions professor but
eyed Moody curiously in the hope that she could discern something from his
face.
 
Moody cleared his throat. “Minnie, you know we,” the man gestured at himself
and the two other men in the room, “do things in Grimmauld Place, don’t you?”
 
Minnie looked at him evenly. “The Order stuff?”
 
“Exactly, my dear,” Dumbledore interrupted.
 
Minnie squirmed on hearing the white-haired man speak to her. She was trying to
pretend he was not present and his voice made that difficult.
 
Noting the girl’s discomfort, Albus looked over his glasses at her and
continued, “It is necessary at the moment that Alastor is involved with some
work of this nature, and he will need to spend time on it in Grimmauld Place.”
 
Minnie brought the sleeve of her white sweatshirt to her mouth. Snape had still
not managed to get her to relinquish the grip her other hand had on his, and
she held it tighter. “Can Professor Snape stay with me?” she asked quietly.
 
Three faces turned to her in surprise. “What the headmaster meant, girl,” said
Alastor, “is we’ll be staying at your home for a little while. Together.”
 
“Oh,” said Minnie. She was leaving the castle? She was going *home*? She felt
elated. And suspicious. And elated. “Great!”
 
Dumbledore’s eyes were doing their twinkling act again. Minnie’s mood veered
back to suspicion. Dumbledore said, “Severus will have work to do there too, of
course.”
 
Moody eyed the dark-haired professor irritably. Minnie felt her mood creep
higher once more. Snick pretended not to notice Moody’s attention and continued
trying to discretely remove his hand from Jessamine’s.
 
“When are we going?” asked Minnie.
 
Dumbledore kept his gaze on the girl: it was unusual for her to remain civil
enough with him for a conversation. “After supper, my dear,” Dumbledore
answered.
 
A thought occurred to Minnie. “Where do I tell Draco I’m going?”
 
The men looked at each other. “Boot camp?” Alastor teased.
 
Minnie scowled. “You can’t seriously expect…”
 
“Of course not,” Professor Snape said. It was the first time he had spoken
during the conversation and Minnie turned to stare up at him. He smirked and
looked tempted to tell her plenty of horror stories about the fate of her
vaults because she had still not dropped his hand. “You will be telling him
that you have to deal with the proper paperwork in regards to your vaults and
that Mad Eye is accompanying you.”
 
“Are we doing anything with my vaults?” Minnie asked suspiciously. If the
cretin Headmaster had any intentions of pilfering her considerable wealth she
would ensure she found an opportunity to feed him to the goblins.
 
“No, whelp, we’re not,” Alastor replied before Snape could begin berating her
tone. Minnie wondered if she could fraudulently find a way to sic goblins on
the old man.
 
Dumbledore smiled down at Minnie. If he could see the violent deaths she was
envisioning for him he did not show it. “That was all, Jessamine.” He glanced
up at the potions master, “Severus, will you please take Jessamine down to the
Great Hall while I continue to speak with Alastor?”
 
“Certainly, Headmaster.” Snape turned to leave.
 
Dumbledore’s eyes glinted again. “Thank you, my boy.”
 
Alastor watched as the door closed behind the pair. Snape grabbed Jessamine’s
wrist to take back his hand without knocking her down the stairs, which would
inevitably have happened if he had simply yanked it from her. She made no
reaction until they had descended the stairs and then she wrapped her fingers
in the fabric at the back of Snick’s elbow.
“Is that necessary?” Snape demanded in a voice that declared that it was not.
“Yes,” Minnie said calmly.
Snape clenched his jaw. “I assure you I won’t disappear if you disattach
yourself.”
“Just in case,” Minnie said playfully, not budging her grip.
Snape glowered and strode quickly to the grand hall, not accommodating the
youth’s shorter strides. Jessa made no complaint.
 
Snape led Minnie up to the staff table and began cajoling her to eat. As Minnie
reluctantly played with her soup (fantasising about using it as a method of
murder) a certain blond meandered up to the table. Snape quirked his brow
questioningly at his godson.
 
“May Minnie eat with us, sir?” the boy drawled.
 
“I am sorry, Draco,” Snape said, “but I cannot let Miss Black leave the table
until I have seen her eat properly.”
 
“Come on, Jessa,” demanded Draco.
 
Minnie squirmed. She couldn’t eat when she was excited, , which she certainly
was with the prospect of leaving the horrid school, and she did not want to
leave Professor Snape sitting beside both her’s and Moody’s empty seats.
 
“Can’t Draco sit up here, sir?”
 
Snape rolled his eyes and agreed grudgingly. “Certainly, Miss Sheba,” he
sneered. Minnie grinned and glanced up at him before sampling her food. Over
the meal she explained to the Malfoy heir she would not be at school for the
following days. There was an unnerving tightness in her chest as Draco
expressed his genuine regret at the news.
 
“Don’t even consider taking too long,” Draco scolded.
 
Minnie smiled at this and hugged the boy. He curled his lip but embraced her
tightly. “See you soon.”
 
Snape observed them with interest. Draco did not associate with many girls who
dared to show him such affection.
 
After dinner, which Alastor missed, Snape took Minnie back to the headmaster’s
office, from which they flooed to Grimmauld Place. Draco, flanked by Greg and
Vincent, and not the least distracted by a nattering Pansy, walked down to the
dungeons deep in thought. There really was no point contacting his mother while
she was at the health spa, despite the letters she sent him daily, but perhaps
his father would have information on Minnie. If Draco piqued his father’s
interest, he might be able to turn the conversation towards what he really
wanted to discuss.
 
Minnie arrived in the fireplace with Snape. He held her still as he dusted ash
from them both before he stepped out into the room. Minnie followed. “When will
Mad Eye arrive?”
 
Snape glanced at her. “Shortly,” he said. How was he going to keep her occupied
with no potions lab to play in? “Why don’t I take you to your rooms to see if
the house elves have brought you your things yet? When we’re done he will
likely be sitting in the kitchen waiting for you.”
 
The latter part was fine, but what did he mean by the first part? He still
seemed uncomfortable. Minnie said in confusion, “I know where my rooms are.”
 
Snape made a face. “Dumbledore has requested you use a different set of rooms.”
 
Whatever for? They had likely removed anything dubious or of exceptional value.
Jessa’s eyes flashed angrily but she said nothing in this tone to the dark
haired man, instead following him mutely. He led her to a room with two beds
and two large chests of drawers. There was a trunk at the foot of each bed and
a large mirror on the wall. ‘Mad Eye’s sharing with me,’ Minnie thought, and
began rummaging through the drawers discovering which of her things the elves
had supplied. It was mostly clothing; nothing obviously dangerous. Snape
smirked at her for a moment as though he knew that even clothing could be a
lethal weapon in certain circumstances. Minnie stood and followed Snape down to
the kitchen.
 
“Where are you sleeping?” Minnie asked.
 
“The right door opposite you,” the man replied without glancing at her. He
reached to open the kitchen door and when he did, Minnie was greeted with the
sight of her guardian eating calmly at the table.
 
“There you are, whelp,” he said. She smiled and slid into the seat along the
corner from him whilst bizarrely, Snape began to brew those infernal cups of
tea Albus was always conjuring. The muggle method seemed to steady his nerves
and he placed a cup before Jessa, remaining to drink his own by the counter.
 
Minnie looked over to him. “Are you ok sir?”
 
The professor widened his eyes in surprise. “Drink your tea,” he glared. Was he
visibly tense, and could she tell?
 
Moody watched the interacted with a sigh. “I knew she didn’t know,” he said.
 
Jessa’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I didn’t know what?”
 
At that moment a black haired boy Jessa’s age scuffled into the kitchen.
“What’s she doing here?”
 
To see him, of all people, in Siri’s house. For a moment, Minnie was almost
sick. Her hands tightened on the cup she clasped so very firmly.
 
The tea started to drain into nothing to echo the emotional void that was
creeping up vertebrae by vertebrae inside Minnie. She stood stiffly. She had to
leave before she allowed her magic to leave a ridiculously large, smoking hole
where the kitchen currently stood. “You murderer,” she whispered sharply before
she threw herself out of the room.
 
In response Harry started his own tantrum. Perfectly aware Snape didn’t have a
chance of quieting the boy, Alastor sighed and sent the younger professor after
the girl.
 
“Miss Black!” Snape roared, not in the least mindful of the portrait that had
already been set off. Snape knew perfectly well Minnie would have went to her
own, private rooms, which regularly sealed themselves off from the rest of the
house. Should the girl have retreated there it was highly unlikely he would be
able to retrieve her without the headmaster, Kreecher and Moody.
 
Snape kicked the entrance to Jessa’s rooms. “Miss Black, you shall not hide
away in your rooms! You will come out this instant or you will find I shall
make you a very sorry girl!”
 
After a great deal of threats, a door on the landing above opened. Minnie
stepped towards the banisters looking tearful. “Professor?”
 
Snape turned and fixed the girl with a thunderous expression.
 
“I wasn’t in my rooms, professor.”
 
Snape began striding up the stairs towards her. Minnie unexpectedly began to
walk over reluctantly to meet him. Reaching her, Snape took a hold of Minnie’s
arm and squashed down the urge to swat her, hard.
 
“Was that display necessary?”
 
Minnie glanced up at the potion master’s annoyed snarl. “Sorry,” she said in a
small voice.
 
“Have you broken anything in Black’s room?”
 
Minnie looked horrified. “Of course not.”
 
Snape noted the girl’s tone with relief. He could perhaps deal with the girl
crying; if he had to clear up messes both teenagers were bent on creating every
time they lost their tempers, he would lose his own with them very swiftly.
 
The man marched Minnie to the bathroom, where he wet a flannel and cooled her
face, then brought her downstairs.
 
Moody had no intentions of pandering to Harry’s nonsense and when the boy had
cried himself out the professor insisted on the boy repairing the broken
utensils, before seating him firmly at the table. Where he sat uncomfortably
and glowered at the space before him. On seeing the others return Harry turned
his attention to picking at the old wood of the table. Alastor smacked the
boy’s hand away wordlessly.
 
Snape pulled out a chair and glowered at Jessa. “Sit,” he ordered. Without
looking at anyone, the girl obeyed.
 
“Now,” said Snape dangerously, bringing his palm down disturbingly hard on the
tabletop, “we are going to get a few things straight. First of all, Potter is a
foolish, negligent brat, but it is Lestrange who killed Sirius Black. And a
piece of drapery.”
 
“He wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for him!”
 
“Jessamine,” warned Alastor sharply.
 
“You think I meant to get him killed, he was the closest I had to a father! I
was meant to live with him when things were over!” Harry’s face was flushed. It
was true. He and his godfather had been close.
 
Jessamine’s relationship with Grim had been far less rosy but she was
nonetheless exceptionally attached to her half-brother. “I wouldn’t have minded
you living with him,” she spat, “but then you went and got him killed!”
 
Sirius’ godson looked murderous. “You stupid bitch, I-”
 
“Enough!” Snape roared. Even Moody looked a little worried by the man’s tone.
“Listen here,” he said coldly, “the next of you to continue this argument is
going over my lap, and will be remaining there until I am assured they will not
be so foolish as to start up again. Have I made this point clear?”
 
Harry looked equally furious and incredulous about the threat, but said
nothing. He did not think the professor had the authority; but did not think
that would be enough of a deterrent for the man.
 
“Sorry,” said Minnie. It bothered her that she had angered Snape and she was
also fairly certain his was not an idle threat.
 
“You will be if there’s another peep out of you,” Snape admonished. “The same
goes for you, Potter. Now, I have had quite enough from both of you this
evening, so you will both be retiring to your room until morning. If you kill
each other, rest assured my wrath will still reach you pair on the other side.”
 
Minnie looked severely alarmed. “Mad Eye, I can’t-”
 
He reached over to her sympathetically whilst the others looked on in
confusion. “I know, whelp, but Dumbledore wants you to try this. I’m only going
to be the door on the left opposite –I won’t be far.”
 
“Sod what Dumbledore wants,” Minnie protested.
 
Moody took hold of her chin and stared into her eyes. “Now stop that,” he
scolded gently. “I want you to do this tonight, alright.”
 
“You do not,” said Minnie, “it’s all on your face that you don’t.”
 
“You will do as I tell you, girl.”
 
Minnie paused as she was about to argue further and instead looked thoughtfully
at Snape. “You said room.”
 
“What?” said Harry.
 
“You didn’t mean we’re going to share?” The girl sounded aghast.
 
“I did,” said Snape.
 
“But we can’t share,” said Minnie.
 
“Exactly,” said Harry quickly, “She’s a girl; I don’t share with Hermione.”
 
“Only because you prefer boys,” Minnie muttered.
 
“Miss Black!”
 
“Sorry,” sighed Minnie. “But it is true: we can’t share.”
 
“You will be sharing,” said Snape shortly.
 
“But-”
 
The man glared at the pair. “You will do as you’re told and go upstairs to get
ready for bed this instant. Both of us,” he gestured towards Moody, “will be up
momentarily. If I do not find two well-behaved young people when I go upstairs
I will be making both of you very unhappy.”
 
Without protest, but looking severely put out, Minnie and Harry got up from the
table and went upstairs.
 
Minnie barged past Harry and straight into the adjoining bathroom, where she
deliberately took as long as possible. This was outrageous. Minnie snarled at
the mirror then threw the bathroom door open. The Champion stood nearby; Minnie
stormed past him again and, kicked off her DCs roughly.
 
Harry glanced in irritation at her and stomped into the bathroom, closing the
door audibly. It was indecent that he was being made to share with a girl but
preposterous that he had to share with this ill-bred, ill-tempered bitch!
Minnie grimaced at the bathroom door and threw back her quilt; creating a tent
with the material. The girl used it as a makeshift screen to change behind then
tossed her outer clothing to the floor and lay back stiffly. She ran her hand
over her face feeling too angry to think. Anxiety bubbled in her stomach: she
had no desire to show weakness to Harry but if she fell asleep... She would
simply have to stay awake. Minnie glanced down at her body. Alastor should have
given her one of his damn shirts. Minnie kicked the quilt over herself.
Harry finished his ablutions and reluctantly stepped back into the bedroom. The
illegitimate Black ignored Harry but he could sense her hatred of him. He
disliked her too and the prospect of undressing before her was irksome. He
gazed around himself hoping for a distraction. The bland cream walls and framed
Chinese proverbs did nothing to soothe his dark mood. Whoever had redecorated
this room had tried hard to dispel the grim history of it but Jessamine Black
was doing a superb job of recreating the unpleasant atmosphere. Harry removed
his trainers then unfastened his belt. His jeans dropped to the floor. Harry
stepped out of them and threw himself onto his duvet.
 
Snape and Moody appeared in the open doorway to find the two teens glowering on
their respective beds. “I do hope,” Snape drawled, “this is the last of your
tantrum.”
 
Neither teen quite dared to glare directly at the dark haired man, scowling at
their own laps instead.
 
“A reply, if you please…”
 
“Yes, sir,” said Minnie.
 
After a pause, Harry managed to grate out, “Yes, Professor.”
 
“Very well. Goodnight both of you,” Snape turned to leave, “There will be no
fighting at all tonight, and, should I only discover one of you alive in the
morning, rest assured I will gladly hex you both.” The man left the room with
his robes swinging around him.
 
Alastor lingered to cuddle Minnie and murmur reassurances which Harry did not
understand but pretended to ignore. After a few moments he straightened up, bid
the reluctant pair goodnight, and left the room. He pulled the door closed
behind him.
 
Snape met the auror’s eyes. “They’ll both be dead by sunrise.”
 
“Don’t say that,” Alastor said dryly, “Or you’ll have no one to hex come
morning.”
 
The other man flashed his teeth. “Quite.”
 
Alastor’s gaze flickered to the door.
 
Snape rolled his eyes and cast a listening charm. He quirked his eyebrow at
Alastor’s expression. “It’s not as if we won’t both be here all night,” Snape
drawled, rearranging his robes about himself and settling on the floor against
the doorframe. After a moment’s hesitation Alastor joined him. His magical eye
fixed intently on the room behind him, where Harry and Minnie remained scowling
on their beds.
 
Eventually both teenagers found sleep.
 
The wait for the girl to begin screaming felt unnervingly long to Moody. When
she finally did the man’s stomach knotted as he was under instructions not to
go to her. At all.
 
Snape had not expected the chest-piercing screams, nor had he expected Moody to
fidget and squirm upon hearing them, almost foaming at the bit to get to
Minnie.
 
“This is hardly helping Potter sleep,” Snape sneered.
 
“Potter’s not currently top of my priority list,” Moody growled in agitation.
 
To Snape’s confusion, the other man’s jaw abruptly dropped and he turned both
eyes on the door.
 
A few moments later they heard Harry’s voice murmuring soothingly until
Minnie’s screams lessened to hoarse breathing and the occasional juddering
gasp. The two men swiftly exchanged glances before Alastor returned his gaze to
the door.
 
Minnie glanced in horror at the teenage boy gripping her arms. It did not take
her long to realise Harry had shaken her out of her nightmare. She flushed and
avoided his eyes. “Sorry.”
 
Harry shook his head wryly. “Don’t worry about it. It’s new to be on the other
end of this.”
 
Minnie peered at him unwillingly. “You get nightmares?”
 
Harry reached into his trunk and lifted out a tray of dreamless sleep and pain
potions. “I get nightmares,” he agreed. He picked up a vial of dreamless sleep
and proffered it to her.
 
Minnie took it warily. A childhood reliance on the substance had left her
somewhat intolerant but she had not used it in a while- so she could depend on
the potion tonight.
 
Harry closed the trunk and returned to bed. “Goodnight.”
 
Minnie was still holding the potions vial. She looked up. “Night, Potter.” She
swallowed the liquid and placed the vial on the dark wood chest of drawers.
“Thanks Potter.”
 
Harry glanced briefly at her and looked away, wearing an odd expression. “Don’t
worry about it.”
 
Minnie quirked an eyebrow in what could have been a disturbingly Malfoyesque
mannerism before noticing her quilt was still at the bottom of the bed where
she had kicked it in her sleep. ‘Well that explains it,’ she thought as she
dived to pull the duvet over her barely-dressed form.
 
In the morning, Snape and Alastor awoke leaning against the doorframe to the
teenagers’ room. The youths had not killed, or indeed even hexed, each other.
Snape stood up, straightening his robes and his reluctant body, and strode into
the bedroom to wake the brats.
 
Minnie’s quilt had found its way to the floor again, despite her drugged, and
therefore undisturbed, sleep. The man diverted his gaze from the rather
interesting tangle of female limbs and brightly coloured string that
masqueraded as underwear, and glanced across at Harry. The boy’s hair was even
more of a mess than usual.
 
“It’s morning,” Snape announced loudly.
 
Harry flinched, rolled over and glared momentarily at the potions professor
with great loathing before sitting up and stretching. Minnie sat up, noticed
the departure of her errant quilt, and groaned. She brought her knees together,
pulled herself up, and rolled her legs over the edge of the bed to lean over
and snatch the quilt, which she promptly pulled onto her lap.
 
“Glad to see some modesty kicking in, Miss Black,” Snape sneered. He was
grateful that she had covered herself but his gratitude had little effect on
his tone of voice.
 
“You know you love it,” Minnie muttered, wondering how she was going to get to
the bathroom in her g-string and rather less than modest bra without
humiliating herself. If she had been given on of Moody’s shirts this would not
be an issue. After a long moment’s debate with herself she decided to drag the
quilt with her. She made it almost to the bathroom door when Snape said, “Miss
Black.”
 
Minnie turned, hand reaching for the handle, and managed to drop the stupid
piece of material. She huffed in irritation and turned around.
 
Snape valiantly managed to keep his eye level above her chin. “Breakfast will
be served in half an hour and I expect both yourself and Potter to have had the
opportunity to wash. Do not take long.”
 
Minnie gave the man a dangerous look, kicked the quilt out of her way, and
marched into the bathroom.
 
Snape left the room and tried to think of anything other than the sight of the
sylphlike Black standing ferociously in the doorframe wearing Slytherin-
coloured scraps of lingerie.
 
In a record elapse of a mere fifteen minutes Minnie returned to the bedroom
wearing only a dark coloured towel and an underlying perilous expression. Harry
quickly picked up his clothes and retreated to the bathroom, not daring to
wonder why adolescents were cursed with raging hormone levels.
 
Minnie found black, cut off combat pants and a tight, dark purple vest top
within the chest of drawers. When Harry bravely re-emerged she had added a
white zipper and was casually charming her toenails alternating colours to
coordinate with her outfit.
 
She stared at him for a moment.
 
“Are your clothes meant to be that size?”
 
Before the boy had replied Minnie had surmised the answer was a negative. She
wordlessly shrank them down to fit his figure.
 
“Thanks,” he said awkwardly.
 
Minnie was not really listening, instead rummaging about in a drawer for
something she had seen earlier. Harry watched her warily as she pulled out a
black snake belt and unselfconsciously began looping it through his own jeans.
 
“Better,” she said.
 
He glanced at her warily before flicking his gaze towards the mirror. He did
look better.
 
Minnie smirked at him, reading his expression, and bounded down to breakfast.
Harry followed.
 
To Jessa’s delight, Kreecher was serving at the table. She sat down and began
cheerfully eating what he placed in front of her. The men noticed that she had
not had such an uncajoled appetite in the entirety of the time she had spent in
Hogwarts.
 
Minnie caught the murderous look Harry’s eyes held and he swiftly found her
nine inch thestral hair wand jabbing into his throat.
 
“Don’t even think about it,” she said sweetly before withdrawing her weapon.
 
“He’s more responsible for your brother’s death than I am!” Harry snarled. It
stung that she had drawn her wand on him after the night they had shared.
 
“But I like him better than you,” Minnie continued in that same, disturbing
voice. She began eating again. Kreecher bowed and popped out of sight, still
muttering.
 
Harry merely growled, catching Snape’s eye and not daring to do anything else.
 
“Thank you,” the man said snidely. There would be no fighting at the breakfast
table.
 
Minnie finished and pushed her small bowl away. When it became obvious she had
no intentions of eating anything else, Alastor scowled. He was willing to
ignore Jessa’s wand-drawing, but that had a lot to do about the guilt he was
feeling over ignoring her distress last night.
 
Kreecher reappear to take the bowl.
 
“That’s not enough,” Moody growled.
 
Kreecher sneered at the man. “Mistress is needing to be eating in small
amounts,” the elf admonished sharply. “Moronic blood-traitor auror cretin.
Mistress’s organs not ordinary witch’s organs. Cretin is not knowing Mistress’
insides changing like Mistress’s features do, and shan’t cope like silly
ordinary witch’s normal body.”
 
Snape tried not to smirk in amusement and stored the information away for
later.
 
“Tonks eats a lot,” said Harry coolly.
 
“That would be because Tonks is a pig,” muttered Jessa.
 
At Alastor’s glare, Minnie continued, “Her metabolism’s different; she burns up
more energy than I do when I change. Because I don’t have a real fixed form my
insides are constantly in flux and can’t cope with dealing with a large amount
of food. Treating me as though I’m Tonks will only make me sick.” Upon the
man’s continued scowl she scowled back and expanded, “I don’t make a big point
of considering my organs when I change, so they tend not to be big. It’s
probably thanks to my magic’s self-preservation instinct that I have organs at
all when I perform a drastic change. This, coupled with how I’m likely to
forget about any digesting food in my system means I gotta eat only a little,
fairly often, and have to be conscious about how long something will stay in my
system. I’ve told you this before.”
 
At that moment the fireplace became active.
 
Rather glumly Minnie watched Dumbledore step into the room. “The others should
be here shortly,” he announced. Minnie got up to leave.
 
“Where are you going?” Harry asked.
 
“The Order’s about to meet,” she explained.
 
“You’re welcome to stay, my dear,” the headmaster suggested.
 
Minnie blinked. “Thanks,” she said, “but I really think I should go.” As she
moved to the door there was a commotion from the fireplace as it began to expel
Weaslies. She quickly closed the door behind her with a firm yet casual click.
 
Her voice carried as she told Kreecher, “The auror’s not a cretin, only a moron
lapdog of a blood-traiter sociopath. Try to humour him please.”
 
The meeting lasted for hours. Minnie had time to raid her personal rooms for as
long as she wished, and also the dark library. When Kreecher alerted her to the
meeting’s end Minnie was curled up on the bed and idly charming different
images to dance along the ceiling to amuse herself.
 
Minnie cancelled the spells and sloped down to the living room, where she
placed herself in her customary lap. Moody grunted and shifted to accept her
weight. She snuggled into him and attempted to spirit away his hip flask. She’d
never managed to take it without his noticing.
 
He lazily slapped her hand away. “You leave that alone whelp.”
 
She pouted and shifted in his lap again to make him as uncomfortable as
possible. He murmured several colourful phrases he forgot she would still be
able to hear and pulled her elbows away from his squashed vital organs.
 
Minnie noticed Snape sitting very quietly in the armchair at the other end of
the room. His head was bowed and drew his hair over face, preventing her from
reading his expression, but the knuckles gripping the chair’s arm in a clawlike
vice were bone white.
 
The girl observed him for a moment longer then shifted again. “Will you stop
moving around on me!” Alastor grumbled.
 
“In a minute,” Minnie promised. She shifted down into a dog the size of a small
spaniel and wrestled out of her clothes. Alastor held open the neck of her top
and helped her. “What do you reckon you’re doing girl?”
 
“Trust me,” she said quietly.
 
Moody watched as Minnie jumped off of his lap and padded over to Snape. At
first Snape ignored her, but he fixed her with a glare when she dared to paw
his leg. “I do not especially like black dogs Miss Black,” he snapped,
“particularly not when they appear like a miniature grim and invade my personal
space.”
 
Minnie stared at him with the condescending gaze only a cat regularly uses and
leapt onto his lap. He pushed her off immediately. “Get off,” he demanded
crisply.
 
Minnie ignored him and returned to his lap. He pushed her off firmly. “Desist,
Miss Black.”
 
She ignored his warning and he gave her his ugliest glare. He used his death
eater voice when he insisted, “I said no.”
 
She wagged her tail slowly and crossed his lap to wriggle under his arm.
 
Snape squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Miss Black,” he snarled.
 
Minnie looked up cheerfully and grinned at the man. He scowled down at her and
levelled their faces. “Move.” She squeezed out and licked his face. He picked
her up by the folds of skin at the back of her neck and dropped her onto the
floor. Whining, she pawed his leg and rested her head on his knees.
 
“Miss Black, as you are capable of speaking English, please stop acting like
you don’t.”
 
Minnie sighed and put her front paws on his knees. “Cuddle me.”
 
“I am not in the habit of ‘cuddling’ people.”
 
“I’m not ‘people’,” replied Jessa. “I’m a dog.”
 
“You are not a dog. You are a teenage girl. Remove yourself.”
 
“No,” said Minnie simply.
 
“Do as you are told,” Snape said dangerously.
 
“Don’t wanna,” retorted Jessa.
 
“Do you realise you sound like a three year old?”
 
“So?”
 
“Do you know how I would punish a naughty three year old?”
 
The dog pulled back just a little. “Like Mad Eye?” she squirmed.
 
Snape smirked, “Actually,” he said, “I was going to threaten the corner –but a
spanking is an excellent suggestion Miss Black.”
 
“But I’m a dog.”
 
“That doesn’t matter. Climb onto my lap,” said Snape.
 
Dumbledore chose that moment to enter. “Did I hear you right, Severus?” he
twinkled, “I thought I heard you tell Jessamine to climb onto your lap.” He
stuck a finger in his ear and twirled it around with a daft expression.
 
“I was offering Miss Black a spanking, Headmaster.”
 
Dumbledore laughed outright. “And what’s your motive?”
 
“She licked me.” The childishness of the man’s answer made even Minnie grin,
despite her distaste of the Headmaster’s presence. She pulled herself onto
Snape’s lap again and nuzzled his throat affectionately, ignoring Snape’s hand
as he tried to bat her away.
 
“You are definitely getting an early bedtime,” he growled quietly to her.
 
She licked his ear.
 
Snape scowled at both the girl and the room in general, half-enraged as he
caught sight of Moody’s twitching lips.
 
“Be nice,” muttered Jessa.
 
Snape turned to her and bared his teeth in a sneer. “What makes you think I
have the capacity for that?”
 
Minnie sighed. “Just be nice. Please. For me.”
 
“And what bargaining tool are you?” he drawled back.
 
Minnie wriggled into the warmth under Snape’s arm. “I’m just nice too,” she
muttered.
 
“I’m still going to send you to the corner,” the man grumbled.
 
The girl jabbed his chest with her nose. “Was that a joke?” she teased. “Did
you forget to be scary?”
 
Snape took hold of Jessa’s muzzle and pulled it up level to his face. His dark
eyes sparked, promising danger. “Do you want me to be scary?”
 
Minnie shook her head seriously. She did not break her gaze from the cold
obsidian orbs.
 
Alastor chose that moment to stop pretending to ignore the pair’s conversation.
“Stop scaring my girl, you.”
 
“I’m not scared,” Minnie lied, before Snape could retort.
 
He scowled. “You should be.”
 
Minnie rubbed against him lazily. “No,” she said.
 
Dumbledore became very interested in the décor as Snape stared at her. At his
questioning glare, Minnie expanded. “You might be a death eater,” the two
eavesdroppers twitched, whilst Snape’s foul expression grew considerably
darker, “but you’re tame enough.”
 
“‘Tame’,” repeated Snape.
 
Minnie stood and stretched. “Oh, don’t fall out with me,” she whined. “Tame in
a nice way.”
 
“Have we not established I am not ‘nice’?”
 
Minnie lay down along his legs. “You’re nice to me,” she said gently.
 
“Look where that gets me,” Snape groused. “…I am not nice to you.”
 
“You look after me,” Minnie countered. “Just like Mad Eye.”
 
‘Nothing like Mad Eye,’ both Moody and Snape personally hoped. Snape denied the
accusation.
 
Minnie sighed. “Take me for a walk later?”
 
“I think that will be unlikely,” came Snape’s almost exasperated sigh.
 
“Of course he will, my dear,” said Dumbledore.
 
‘Thanks a lot old man,’ thought Snape. He glowered and acquiesced, whilst
Minnie wore an unreadable expression.
 
The day progressed uneventfully until Snape lost his temper with both teens and
declared it bedtime. Somehow Minnie found herself sharing with Harry again.
Moody had lost the private arguments he had had with the old headmaster on the
matter.
 
***
 
It was Harry’s nightmares that caused the first disturbance. Minnie woke and
saw him thrashing about clutching his skull and screaming. She crossed the
distance between them and shook him awake. His trunk was sitting open and as
soon as he stopped screaming she brought him the tray. Squinting at her and
wincing, he took two pain potions in quick succession before staring blearily
at her.
 
“You okay?” asked Minnie.
 
Holding his head, he blinked and mumbled an affirmative. When he did not say
anything else Minnie lifted his quilt from the floor and threw it over him,
before returning to her own bed.
 
“Thanks,” said Harry hoarsely.
 
“’Night,” replied Minnie.
 
Both teens attempted to recapture sleep, only for Harry to awaken screaming a
further three times. Minnie had found herself in the rather odd position of
holding him whilst crooning soothing nonsense for the last two nightmares. When
Harry calmed, Minnie returned to her bed and sat gazing idly at the facing
wall. Although she doubted she would sleep any more tonight she was thankful it
was not her own nightmares which had woken them both this night.
 
Harry sat up at the head of his bed and leaned against the cool wall. His
expression as he glanced nervously, and a little desperately, at Minnie,
suggested he wanted to talk.
 
“Say it,” Minnie muttered.
 
Harry stared at her in surprise. “What?”
 
“If you want to talk, talk.”
 
Harry was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know what to talk about,” he admitted,
“I just-”
 
“Want to focus on someone’s voice,” supplied Minnie. “Yeah, I get that.”
 
Harry blushed, feeling silly, awkward and demanding despite her understanding.
“You don’t mind?”
 
“We’ve got all night,” the girl shrugged.
 
Harry looked around the room for inspiration and his eyes fell upon Minnie’s
DCs. “You spout all that pureblood rubbish but you’re wearing muggle trainers?”
 
“I have muggle friends,” Minnie admitted stiffly.
 
Harry sat up a little. “What?”
 
Minnie scowled somewhat and turned to look at Harry condescendingly. “I’ve been
hiding from the wizarding world practically my whole life, obviously you
realised I didn’t have many pureblooded playmates?”
 
“That was allowed?” Harry asked. From Sirius’s opinion of his mother’s views,
it seemed unlikely.
 
“Of course not,” the girl sneered. “But Mumma’s hardly aware of anything that’s
out of view of the hallway.”
 
“But you hate muggles,” Harry continued.
 
“I don’t especially like wizards either,” Minnie pointed out.
 
Harry was thoughtful for a moment. “When you were bitchy in potions, was it
just because you wanted in Malfoy’s pants?”
 
Minnie managed to look offended, angry and nauseous. “I will never want in
Draco’s ‘pants’,” she said, sounding ill.
 
Harry glanced at her in surprise. “You’re not-”
 
“No,” Minnie answered short.
 
“I thought-”
 
“No.”
 
Harry sat back with a puzzled expression. “Why not?”
 
It was Minnie’s turn to be shocked. “What?”
 
“I thought all the girls wanted to date the Slytherin Prince.”
 
“I’m not into inbreeding thanks,” Minnie sneered.
 
Harry laughed. “All that shit about me being a half-blood and you’re not into
inbreeding!”
 
Minnie gave him a condescending look and said placidly, “Potter, I call you a
half-blood because it pisses you off more than yelling ‘Oi, specky!’”
 
“Well, okay, but...Hermione never did anything to you. What about her?” Harry
protested. He assumed Minnie wanted to piss him off over the ‘death of her big
brother’ thing.
 
“She’s an arrogant, overly opinionated cow who hates anyone who won’t bow down
in awe of her IQ,” Minnie answered coldly. “And besides, she’s friends with
you.”
 
Harry was frustrated with himself to find the comment stung. “What’s wrong with
me?”
 
Minnie stared at him quizzically. “Asides from my hating you?”
 
The boy flinched. “But you gave me potions and stuff tonight?”
 
Minnie’s gaze was level. “You looked after me last night.”
 
“What about my clothes?”
 
“You’re a walking crime against fashion. Besides, you’re a Potter, you
shouldn’t be wearing muggle cast offs.”
 
Harry flushed. “I… what did I do to make you hate me?”
 
Minnie curled her lip. “Well for a start, if Siri hadn’t went off to the
ministry for you when they found me I would be his responsibility, not fucking
Dumbles’. On top of that you’re Dumbles’ ‘golden boy.’ You disrespect my Snape
all the time. You-”
 
“’Your Snape’?” Harry said quietly. He flushed. “You’re not-”
 
“Mine and Draco’s,” Minnie amended. “And unfortunately enough, I’m not
currently bedding this professor either.”
 
“Too bad,” said Harry. Although Minnie was sure he meant it as a sneer, he was
sure she heard something else in his voice.
 
“You fancy him,” she whispered in restrained glee.
 
Instead of contradicting her, Harry continued to redden.
 
“Oh hell, you do!” Minnie cackled.
 
“So what?” demanded Harry gruffly.
 
Minnie’s smile faded a little. “I thought it was cute,” she said.
 
“Sorry,” the boy muttered.
 
“What’s wrong?” Minnie asked quietly.
 
Harry gave her a dark look. “Asides from me fancying a bloke?”
 
“What wrong with that?”
 
Harry looked genuinely surprised. “You don’t mind?”
 
“Why should I?”
 
The teen looked depressed. “Ron would hate me if I told him.”
 
“And the Mu-Granger?”
 
“I think Hermione knows,” Harry said quietly, “but I’ve not told her.”
 
“It’s no big deal, Scarhead,” Minnie said gently. Harry looked at her and she
gave a conspiratorial grin. “You think I’ve never had a girl before?”
 
The boy’s jaw almost clanged to the floor. He looked at her suspiciously. “You
and Pansy…”
 
Minnie merely issued a bark of laughter. When she met his eyes she grew more
serious. “Seriously though, it’s not like it’s hard to fancy Snape, is it?”
 
Harry just groaned laughingly, sliding down onto his back. “It’s the voice,” he
admitted ruefully, “it’s just so deep and commanding and …really sexy.”
 
Minnie grinned and nodded. “I love his eyes,” she admitted.
 
“They’re so dark, aren’t they?” Harry said softly.
 
“And so deep,” concurred Minnie. She grinned. “He gives me these long looks
when I make him mad; they make me so unbelievably horny!”
 
Harry laughed with understanding. “Sometimes when he yells at me I go fucking
hard even though I’m pissed off at him. I get worried he’ll tell if he looks in
my eyes.”
 
“I think he’s scarier when he doesn’t yell,” Minnie pondered, “when he’s so mad
he just stares at you and his eyes just hiss… promise!”
 
“Yeah! When he’s all up in my face,” Harry said, “and yelling at me I wonder
about him losing his temper and jumping on me and what he’d do to me…”
 
Minnie grinned and her voice took on a playfully sultry tone. “Grab you by the
tie and yell at you in that deep voice… He’d bend you over the table and tell
you what a stupid, headstrong boy you were, and that he’d had enough of it. He
would show you who was in charge and fuck you hard to teach you it…”
 
Harry let out a groan, imagining this image, before grinning at Minnie. “That’s
a fucking hot idea,” he laughed.
 
“You’d like your greasy git on top?” Minnie teased.
 
“There has to be a more effective way of punishing me when he hears me say
that,” Harry mused, “if he promised to make me a sorry little Harry instead of
giving me a stupid detention…”
 
“Then you wouldn’t say anything else.”
 
“Hey Minnie?” Harry looked embarrassed again.
 
“Yeah?”
 
“When Mad-Eye Moody threatened to spank you… has he? Ever?”
 
Minnie bowed her head a little. “…Yes.”
 
“What’s it like?”
 
“It hurts. A lot.”
 
“Then I wouldn’t like it if Snape spanked me?”
 
Minnie flushed, dwelling on her own experiences. “Being spanked by your
guardian can be a bit different from being spanked by your lover.”
 
“Why?”
 
“Well, most people don’t like getting hurt too much,” Minnie said. “It’s more
normal to use the fingertips rather than the palm if you didn’t want it to
really leave an impression.”
 
“Fingertips?”
 
Minnie demonstrated with her hand. Harry grinned in embarrassment.
 
“I thought you meant…” He gestured with his own hands.
 
Minnie’s eyes took on a slightly distant expression.
 
“You’ve not?” Harry sounded both shocked and delighted.
 
“It’s nice,” the girl squirmed.
 
“What’s it like?”
 
“I told you… just… nice…”
 
“No,” Harry sounded bashful, “what’s it feel like?”
 
“It stings a little. At first,” Minnie admitted. “Then it’s just… nice.” She
looked to him. “You’ve never?”
 
“I’ve never been with a guy,” Harry admitted.
 
“Because you’re not out or...?”
 
“I just don’t know anybody else like me.”
 
Minnie giggled delightedly. “There’s one in your dorm!”
 
“What? Who?”
 
Minnie cackled. “Finnegan is only the sluttiest little gryffindork your house
has!”
 
“How do you know?”
 
“He’s friends with Theo and Blaise,” the girl said simply.
 
“What? They’re Slytherins!”
 
“They share similar pastimes,” Minnie continued to giggle.
 
“But they’re Slytherins,” wailed a horrified Harry.
 
“And you don’t like a single Slytherin? Well of course excepting their head of
house.”
 
“Malfoy,” Harry blurted.
 
Minnie’s eyes widened. “You like Draco?”
 
Harry flushed. “That just came out!”
 
Minnie laughed. “You can have my br-best friend if I can have Snapey.”
 
A happy look came over Harry’s face. “I’d settle for both,” he said.
 
“I’ll just stick with the one thanks,” shuddered Minnie. “Snape’s got a
beautiful arse.”
 
“I’ve never really seen him out of his robes,” said Harry regretfully, “Malfoy,
on the other hand, has my seal of approval on his pretty, pretty arse.”
 
Minnie made retching noises.
 
Harry snickered before a mischievous glint appeared in his green eyes. “You
said you weren’t bedding Moody…”
 
Minnie looked at him. “Yes?”
 
“Would you?”
 
“Yes…” squirmed Minnie. “Except of course he’ll never take advantage of me
unfortunately… Snapey neither,” she sounded quite glum.
 
Harry looked bewildered. “How can you handle being in bed with a guy, both of
you wearing his shirt and boxers, all night, every night, when you fancy him?”
 
Minnie shrugged. “I’m usually too distracted by the nightmares to be honest.”
 
Harry nodded concurrently. He felt an imminent lull in conversation and
struggled to think of something else to say: if they kept talking maybe Minnie
would stop hating him. “Who would you rather: Mad Eye or Snape?”
 
Minnie shrugged again. “I love them both,” she said.
 
“Love them?” Harry echoed in surprise.
 
“They’re not just crushes, Scarhead,” Minnie said softly, “I need them and they
look after me and I can trust them not to let me down. That means a deal to
me.” The tone of the conversation had turned serious and she looked sad.
 
Harry understood not to ask why. Instead he attempted to lighten the mood. “So
which one would you shag?” Harry pressed teasingly.
 
The girl considered. “Snape,” she said at last. “Mad Eye could probably step
into the role of ‘dad’ but Snape’s not my guardian so he wouldn’t have that to
give him guilt.”
 
Both teens were growing drowsy as day grew closer. Before they crashed for the
final few hours before breakfast, Minnie mumbled, “Mad Eye has a crackin’ ass
though, even if he is practically my dad…”
 
Outside the teens’ door, both eavesdropping men looked ready to go into shock.
The combination of discovering neither teen was entirely straight, and their
surprising revelations of just who they were infatuated with, left both men
feeling slightly weak. Potter’s sexuality was less of an issue to Snape than
Moody, but the crush the boy had on the potions professor was certainly most
problematic for Snape. Whilst this would have amused Alastor in other
circumstances, the infatuations of the other teen in question made it difficult
to laugh. Like Minnie, Moody was too distracted by her nightmares to notice
anything arousing about his bed partner or her attire. However, he had noticed
how she walked about his rooms in just his shirt. Whilst at the time he had
told her to cover up Alastor wondered if the overprotectiveness he felt towards
Minnie was not paternal at all, but the possessiveness of a lover, or perhaps
his way of fighting off the opportunity for impure thoughts…or actions. He
pushed the thought to the back of his mind. The girl had said she trusted him
not to let her down and taking advantage of a teenage crush would most
certainly be that.
 
When Moody had organised his feelings for Minnie he remembered the girl
admitted to liking the potions master as well. While Alastor could not deny his
earlier suspicions he did know Severus would not really take advantage of a
youth.
 
Privately Snape was wondering just when the girl had been dropped on her head
to think he was trustworthy or nice, never mind the opinion she had of his eyes
or arse. Also, whilst the ‘tame’ comment had annoyed him (and very marginally
soothed him at the same time though he was loathe to think it) Snape found
himself disturbed by the scenario the girl had described to Potter, not least
because it sounded very much like how he would behave with a less forceful
lover.
 
Now, of, course, was most definitely not the time to think of lovers,
particularly in such company.
 
“I’m sure it would be best for it to be you who calls them for breakfast,”
Snape said, standing as if to go. The professor had not even fully straightened
his robes when Alastor rose to his feet and strode quickly towards the stairs.
As Moody insisted Snape would be the one performing said task it occurred to
neither of them that Kreecher could have done it.
 
Somehow Snape lost the argument. He scowled as Moody limped downstairs
purposefully and resisted the urge to hex the older man. Pinching the bridge of
his nose, Snape stood for a moment before storming to his room. He was most
certainly not going to wait at the teens’ door until it was time to wake them.
 
Snape did not want to think about the boy’s crush on him. Not because Potter’s
orientation bothered him, but simply the utter bizarreness of it all.
 
When Snape could not ignore was Minnie’s confession. Her insistence about lying
along his lap the day before had not seemed like flirting. Minnie sounded
merely friendly, although her eyes had curiously held a veiled concern that the
spy had noted. He had not misread her; had he?
 
Too soon for the man’s liking it was time to waken the bewildering pair. Snape
got up from his bed reluctantly (he had had no opportunity to use it the past
two nights) and crossed the hall into the teenagers’ room.
 
Potter was sprawled along his bed with only his feet tangled in his covers. His
burgundy teeshirt had ridden up to reveal a slice of his pale back and even
more intriguing were the tight cotton boxers, a pale gold of course, hugging
his enticing globes. The boy shifted in his sleep and the permanently messy
hair abruptly made the boy look so very well shagged. The reflected glow from
the teeshirt gave Harry’s cheeks a faint glow and his parted lips looked only
sinful.
 
Snape diverted his gaze yet in doing so caught sight of the girl he had least
wanted to see. She was cuddling her scrunched up quilt and had one leg astride
it in a way that dragged the man’s attention to her rear. To his surprise she
wore a silver g-string made of a shiny, stretchy material. The t-shaped piece
of metal at the back was a delicate design of shining serpents with winking
emerald eyes. Snape chivalrously tore his reluctant eyes from the view. His
gaze travelled upwards to the matching shiny emerald bra and her strangely sexy
shoulder blades.
 
Oddly, it occurred to Snape that Minnie had been wearing purple yesterday, not
green.
 
“Time to get up,” he announced loudly, before he thought anything else.
 
Harry woke first again and scowled at the man, every trace of last night’s
admission gone.
 
Minnie remained asleep. The boy got up from his bed and shuffled drowsily to
the bathroom.
 
“Miss Black,” Snape said sharply. When the girl did not wake Snape reluctantly
moved closer and spoke again. She emitted a string of incoherent baby nonsense
yet remained asleep. “Miss Black!”
 
Minnie opened her eyes blearily and focused briefly on the professor before
returning to sleep. Snape quite accidentally found himself grasping her
shoulder and shaking her awake.
 
Minnie focused on him once more, looking at him with more clarity.
 
“Morning, sir,” she greeted sleepily. As she sat up Snape’s eyes were drawn to
the silver snakes on the front of her bra straps. They were charmed to move and
occasionally tilted their heads to flick their tongues at him.
 
Snape ignored them and left the room. The girl did not seem to notice his
attention.
 
*
After an uneventful morning Alastor found Minnie settled on an armchair looking
glum. She was hugging her knees but looked up when he entered.
 
“Something wrong whelp?”
 
The girl sighed. “Doesn’t matter Mad Eye.”
 
The man came in and sat down on the seat beside her. “Obviously it does if
you’ve lost your smile, girl. What is it?”
 
“Forget it,” she said calmly, “I won’t be allowed.”
 
“Allowed what?”
 
Minnie sighed again, and Moody became alarmed when it occurred to him she might
be reliving the conversation she had had with Harry last night.
 
“I used to go out with my friends when I lived here,” Minnie said. “I miss
them.”
 
Minnie was confused by the relief that flooded Alastor’s features. “You want to
see your friends?” he said.
 
“Yes,” the girl said gently. “I want to go out.”
 
“I’ll fire-call Dumbledore,” said Moody.
 
***
 
To Minnie’s surprise, later that day she found herself walking alone down the
street to the Butterfly House. The house was a landmark in the area due to the
ornamental butterflies on its face and was home to a muggle friend.
 
Completely unaware of Minnie’s recent captivity, Kay merely greeted the
pureblood warmly and very shortly they apparated to a much-frequented club.
Being friends with the bouncer, the girls were not in the queue long. However,
Minnie had to wait whilst Kay and their friend flirted and arranged a place to
meet within the club when he finished his shift. Minnie used the time to run
her eyes over everyone in sight.
 
The pair went first to the bar, Kay using her legitimate ID and Minnie abusing
her metamorphagus abilities to obtain highly potent and brightly coloured
drinks. Kay threw her drink back purely for the enjoyment of doing so but
Minnie took exceptional pleasure in her own. It was nice not to be treated like
a child for the first time in weeks.
 
The club was owned by half-bloods and was filled with muggle-borns, more half-
bloods and their muggle friends, even occasionally siblings of muggle-borns.
Squibs also were known to frequent the place as it was a pleasant mix of the
muggle and magical worlds. Because of this, after lining their stomachs with
muggle cocktails the two teens were able to move onto the colour-changing
wizarding alcohol that bubbled, sparkled and sang silly songs.
 
Before long the bar was crowded with friends Minnie had not seen in a long
time. When suitably drunk, Minnie allowed Kay and their friends to drag her
onto the dance floor. The club quietened as Kay led the way and as a result the
music seemed to deepen. There was something mesmerising about the way Kay
danced that made people look at her and made their heart beats slow. Time
became a bit redundant when Kay danced. Everything seemed rather underwater and
vague. The diluted veela blood in her veins had a lot to answer for. It must
have been hours later when the bouncer appeared beside Kay and joined in her
dance. Minnie was quite drunk by that point.
 
It was then that Minnie noticed a surprisingly familiar face crossing to the
back of the club to one of the staircases that led to the next floor. The
ground floor tended to be pack with teenagers and students in their twenties
whilst the next floor was for darker, sleazier and usually a little older
clientele, although the Lolitas congregated there also.
 
What the hell was he doing here?
 
Minnie glanced at Kay. She was pretty occupied. Minnie told one of the other
girls to tell her she was going to meet someone and made her way to the
bathroom. It was blessedly empty. Minnie hated when bouncers sat on a little
chair in the toilets, not just because it was weird and a violation of privacy,
but because it was difficult to get away with changing her appearance. In the
privacy of a cubicle Minnie aged herself up a little bit more, changed her eye
colour and lengthened her nose. Wandering over to the mirror she thoughtfully
altered her cheekbones and played with the dimensions of her lips. As a final
touch of inspiration she added a tiny tattoo of a bird near her throat. When
she was satisfied she made her way upstairs into the main part of the floor.
 
Minnie ordered a Larkhall Lady at the bar. It was a fluorescent pink drink
streaked with other bright colours which glowed brightly and faded. Every now
and then, the liquid would become red and darken like blood, until abruptly it
was black streaked with toxic green flickers like liquid lightening.
 
The moment Minnie ordered the drink people knew who she was; Minnie being the
only person able to order a ‘double ell’. The drink was not technically a
drink; it was derived from a potion which showed the colours of a person’s
soul. Until the bartender handed Minnie the ‘drink’ it was clear, the pink
igniting the instant her fingers curled around the thin glass. If anyone other
than Minnie ordered a Larkhall Lady it would remain clear until their breath
hit it; when the potion reacted with another person’s breath it would show only
faintly their own unique colours and could do no more as it was Minnie’s blood
coded into the potion.
 
The potion itself did not always taste the same. Sometimes it was even
tasteless yet with strong scents which often altered Minnie’s head. Most
commonly a Larkhall Lady smelt of cut grass, wet paint, nail varnish, old
paper, new paper, vanilla, vodka, ink, jasmine or rain. At this moment the
liquid in Minnie’s hand smelt most strongly of Severus Snape.
 
A fierce-looking girl with gleaming black make-up slicked in shards across her
eyes and the bridge of her nose tugged on Minnie’s pale wrist and brought her
to the dance floor. Minnie stepped into the dance her nameless friend had begun
and twisted elaborately around the eight or so females she knew around her.
Whilst to every observer she only appeared to be dancing she was in reality
searching for the dark-eyed man.
 
Finally. There he was, across the floor. She grinded ferociously against Lynn,
a girl in her late teens with her blue-black hair held in braids either side of
her skull. Lynn’s sister, who was around five years older, joined the dance.
For a moment Minnie was distracted by the bright embroidery on the older girl’s
tight silk dress then Minnie rested her chin on a silk-covered shoulder and met
Snape’s gaze.
 
Of course he was staring. The girls Minnie was dancing with were the
girlfriends of a dangerous local gang, and were that themselves in their own
right. They were also provocative and seductive dancers that seemed to have
twirled out of a hallucination. If they so chose, they could have anyone on the
floor. Minnie could not dance as exceptionally well as they could; but no one
ever noticed that when she had Lolitas grinding against her.
 
Snape broke away his gaze but not before he had registered Minnie’s wide,
bright smile.
 
Minnie twisted around and circled the ring of females. Every now and then
throughout the dance she caught the man’s eyes and each time she smiled. His
expression was characteristically unreadable.
 
After a while Minnie moved to the bar. Her thighs ached a little from her
exertions and that felt good. She grinned from the first properly physical fun
she had had since being put on Dumbles’ leash.
 
Snape stood there sipping a firewhiskey and watched her draw near. Having lost
sight of him in the ecstasy of dancing, Minnie was unaware that the man, who
circled the floor almost as much as she did, was not only at the bar but had
watched her approach. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, especially when she
realised he was looking at her.
 
She grinned wider still, one eyebrow raised. “How many times do I need to smile
at you to have you smile back?”
 
He smirked at her. “You assume I should?”
 
“Seven.”
 
“You counted? How droll.”
 
Minnie merely smiled at him and moved closer. She adored a challenging man.
 
Snape took in the eight inch heels of her platforms with the black gladiator
style uppers and the straps all up her white legs. He took in the figure-
hugging, short black jumpsuit with the angular cut-out strips.
 
He had to stop thinking about her body or he would become distracted.
 
Snape moved his gaze to the young woman’s expensive-looking jewellery. At her
throat was a thin, vivid choker –a hoop of a smooth green stone that was used
in protective potions; particularly those for children, the accident prone, or
businesspeople with fickle dealings. Malachite. Gazing upwards, Snape noted her
ears were studded with small, smooth, fat, little hearts which were silver in
one half and the banded green stone in the other. The design drew similarity
with the yin-yang symbol, but without a dash of the complimenting colour in
each half. This was amusing to Severus in a dry sort of way as it was a stone
of balance and unconditional love and recklessness. She had to be a Slytherin,
but whether she was aware of everything he could potentially read into her
accessory choices was less certain.
 
Severus noticed that her ear lobes were only barely beneath his eye level. The
woman was taller than him by a small amount, and that was due to her heels.
Severus calculated her likely height if he removed her provocative footwear. He
realised he had begun to mentally undress her.
 
She met his eyes evenly, which, if she had known him, would have impressed him.
Few did so. She seemed to have ascertained the gist of his thoughts. What
impressed Snape was not that she met his gaze, nor that she could read his
desire. He was instead intrigued by the challenge, and the quiet promise, in
her eyes.
 
Minnie placed her drink on the bar and Snape watched the dark red in her hand
instantly turn black when her skin left the glass. Bright green explosions
slashed through the drink, and then it all grew mostly transparent.
Fascinating. What was in the concoction?
 
Minnie’s pale arm lifted upwards to brush her hair from her cheekbone. Some of
her hair was pleasantly dishevelled and damp from her earlier exertion. She
looked exactly like she had enjoyed herself and was ready for the main event.
 
Providing he didn’t mess it up.
 
Snape moved his gaze from her drink and returned it to the woman. Because
strands of her hair seemed moist where they touched her skin, he could not help
but suddenly notice the mist of sweat on her clavicle. He should have noticed
that when he was scrutinising her necklace.
 
His subconscious had probably wilfully squashed the thought because the
discovery made him wonder how she would look perspiring in the throes of...
well, what those other females had been simulating so graphically on the dance
floor.
 
“So,” smirked Minnie, “how many smiles will it take for you to dance with me?”
 
Snape thought about this. He danced perfectly adequately at the formal balls
thrown by the Malfoys but he got the feeling those skills would be unable to
help him with the dance this woman would lead.
 
“Why would you presume I would care to?”
 
The woman gave a smile that was casual and powerful all at once. “Because I
want you.”
 
Snape sneered, because there was no way he was going to admit he felt a thrill
of excitement. “And that matters?”
 
Minnie took his glass from him and led him by the wrist. “Yes,” she said, “it
does.”
 
Snape wanted to pretend to himself that he had no idea why he had allowed this
to happen, because the thought that he had allowed himself to be manoeuvred
easily onto the dance floor of a disreputable club was not one he wished to
dwell upon. Particularly for something as inconsequential as sex.
 
He was not going to think about it. He was going to allow this female to...
 
Well, the dancing was certainly an education.
 
As Snape squashed the urge to undress right there in the club and have done
with what her dance moves suggested she desired, an unwelcome thought occurred
to him: the woman he was dancing with had been amongst a gang of girls whose
reputation was more hellion than homemaker. Girls who were all very much the
property of another reputedly dangerous gang.
 
“I’m not part of the gang,” the woman’s words broke into Snape’s thoughts, “and
I’m not attached either.”
 
How had she known what he was thinking? More importantly, Snape felt her
smiling against his jaw line as she languidly kissed her way down. “Relax,” she
said.
 
Snape scowled at her and met her gaze. “Do not presume to tell me what to do.”
 
Minnie’s face lit in a feral grin and she met his eyes in a predatory fashion.
“Did you,” her voice was slow as she watched his pupils contract, “just give me
an order?”
 
Before he could respond with any cutting retort her lips crashed down on
Snape’s. She forced his lips open as she plunged her tongue within.
 
This was unexpected but admittedly not unwelcome. But she was consuming him.
Snape leaned into the kiss passionately but she thwarted each attempt the man
made to dominate. This was atypical. It was perhaps not unwelcome.
 
When Minnie ended the kiss she pulled back and watched the edges of the
plundered mouth before her remain upturned. Snape’s lips were bright and
swollen, and the sight compelled her to throw him up against one of the pillars
that encircled the dance floor and recommence the activity.
 
When Minnie finally chose to surface for air Snape remained against the cool
stone and watched the woman almost casually, his eyes dark with lust. What was
she going to do next?
 
Minnie lazily slid her hand beneath his shirt and watched his reaction as she
moved her fingers across his hot skin, sticky from the exertion of their
dancing, and discreetly toyed with his nipples. To her frustration he still
appeared remotely tense, despite the pleased smirk spreading swiftly across his
slightly flushed face.
 
She moved to nip his already swollen lower lip to demand entrance. Snape’s lips
parted at once as he accepted her possessive kiss. She eventually broke away to
look masterfully into the man’s dark eyes.
 
“You do not tell me what to do, boy,” she growled.
 
It took a beat for Snape to remember what she was referring to. Hadn’t that
been a long time ago?
 
Snape normally did not like taking orders. There were two separate men in his
life who let him know regularly that they owned the commodity that was his
life, and he did not care to take a third master. Or mistress.
 
However, the woman staring into him was not removing her hand from where it
comfortably rested beneath his shirt. She was so close she seemed to be
breathing in his soul and doing him the particular favour of returning some of
himself each time she deigned to exhale. She was bewitching.
 
He was not easy prey though, despite the smirk on her captivating lips.
 
“No?” Snape said quietly, his tone low yet not meek.
 
The woman nuzzled his throat. “No,” she agreed in a growl. Good. She listened.
Sort of.
 
Snape felt her gently bite him.
 
She’d just marked him. Snape fought down the horror of another mark and
remained where he was. Her touch was gentle and rather pleasant after all. Was
he overreacting? Why was he over..?
 
“Do you want me?” the woman broke into his thoughts. Her breath cooled him as
the club seemed far too warm. For that to happen the temperature must be... He
was thinking too damn much.
 
“Not particularly,” Snape lied. He did not need to overthink. Providing he was
logical here he could have an enjoyable night. Don’t outright reject her, but
don’t be a pushover either...
 
Minnie shrugged. “I can live with that.”
 
Snape very almost did not stifle the whimper he very almost made when the woman
moved away from him. Minnie noticed his discomfort anyway and much to Snape’s
frustration she chuckled. “You didn’t think I was going to let someone as
pretty as you out of my clutches; did you?”
 
He had just lost a round. Point to her. Focus, Snape.
 
She moved closer and cupped him in her hand, her lips curving into a smile
against Snape’s shoulder as he pushed against her.
 
“Do you think you should change your answer?” Minnie teased.
 
Snape met the woman’s eyes then smirked. He could handle this.
 
She met his eyes evenly (wow, he loved that) and said, “I’ve got a room at the
Leaky. Are you coming?”
 
“Yes,” Snape drawled. So much for not biting her hand off. And why was he
agreeing to go anywhere with some trollop he hardly knew?
 
Minnie smiled the smile Snape was growing to really like. “Good,” she said.
Without saying anything else, she made her way down to the floos near the
cloakroom. Snape quickly followed and became enveloped in the flame.
 
***
 
Minnie did not wait for Snape to catch up to her but went to the reception
desk. Snape was alert for traps as he stalked up behind her. In the moments
before Snape reached her Minnie made eye contact with the person behind the
desk. The pupil of her left eye spiked into a five point star for ten seconds
then returned to ordinary.
 
The person at the desk recognised this signal and Minnie was handed a key.
“Your room, miss.”
 
Snape looked at Minnie. Should he be concerned at the look of familiarity on
the receptionist’s face or had this woman simply been staying at the Leaky
Cauldron for long enough to be recognised in moments?
 
“Thank you,” Minnie said to the receptionist. She was enjoying this. She felt
like herself. There was also the thrill of hunting someone she actually knew.
 
Minnie grabbed Snape’s hand and yanked him upstairs.
 
She threw him into her habitual room and grinned. Snape met her eyes and to her
surprise he grinned back. Fuck, that was hot. She unhurriedly made her way
purposefully towards him.
 
To his astonishment, the woman took his wrist and meticulously began to undo
every one of the twenty four tiny buttons on the forearm of his shirt. When she
had done so, she reached for his other arm and did the same for the other
sleeve. As she began to undo the tiny buttons that fastened down from his
throat she commented, “The sort of man who wears a shirt like this is either
very anal, neurotic and self-absorbed, or he’s keeping something valuable under
wraps.” She let the black shirt drop to the floor. “The latter, then.”
 
He said nothing. She did not let that faze her.
 
Minnie’s eyes greedily drank in the sight of his chiselled torso before she
knelt and removed Snape’s boots and socks. His dark eyes met her’s as she
reached for his belt. He allowed her to remove it before he intoned, “You seem
to be placing me at rather the disadvantage.” Without allowing Minnie pause to
reply, he gripped the front of the woman’s playsuit, snapped open the
fastenings, and as she tumbled onto his lap he thrust his hand inside.
 
He smirked as the woman’s breath became ragged and moved his fingers from
inside her clothing to inside her. It was gratifying to watch her squirming on
top of his digits. She wasn’t the only one who could make the other dance.
 
Minnie finally won the presence of mind to focus. He wanted to play, and she
did too. She straddled Snape and pressed her fists against his shoulders. The
weight of her knocked him to the bed and Minnie grinned.
 
“Who gave you permission to do that?” she growled.
 
The man snorted. “You could not possibly be complaining.” He pulled back his
hands and licked his fingers casually.
 
“You’re still wearing your trousers. Of course I’m complaining,” Minnie
muttered.
 
Snape heard her. “You’re still wearing everything,” he groused back.
 
“Whose fault is that?” Minnie said innocently as she bent her head to lick his
right nipple. “You really should remove your trousers, you know. At the very
least…”
 
Snape bucked his hips beneath her. “It’s hardly easy to do that with you lying
on top of me,” he protested.
 
Minnie rolled her eyes and reached down to undo his fly. When she had, she
fitted the arches of her feet on top of the sides of his hips and slid his
trousers to the bottom of his thighs. He kissed the top of one of her knees and
kicked off the offending garment. As Minnie began kissing, nipping and licking
out a map of Snape’s flesh, the man arched beneath her. The action led his hand
to brush the touch lamp on the bedside table. It threw the man’s scars into
relief and he stiffened. One night stand or not, he did not want anyone to look
at him so closely.
 
Minnie found that her companion had stopped paying attention to the path of her
tongue and was instead reaching for the lamp. She snatched his wrist away.
“Leave it,” she said.
 
Snape attempted to break her grip and was frustrated to find that he couldn’t.
“Let me go,” he snarled.
 
Minnie regarded him calmly. “Will you switch the light off?”
 
“Yes,” the man snapped. Irritating bitch.
 
“Then sorry, no,” Minnie replied as she gently tugged the arm towards her.
 
“Switch. The goddamned. Light. Off,” Snape gritted out.
 
The woman cuffed him lightly with her free arm. “Watch your mouth,” she
scolded. “What’s your problem? You seemed up for this a minute ago.”
 
“I want the light off,” Snape hissed.
 
Minnie brought her lips back to his chest, variating with small flicks of her
tongue, quick nips and languid licks down his ribcage.
 
Snape found it harder to concentrate. “I want the light off,” he repeated with
a frown that faltered as her hair brushed his skin deliciously.
 
Minnie sighed, and the woman’s breath tickled against his skin. “Why,” she
teased lightly, “are you ashamed of me?”
 
“Don’t be stupid,” Snape growled.
 
The woman laughed dryly and bent down to kiss his nose. Her hair fell softly
against his face before she pulled back. “What position are you in to call me
stupid?”
 
Snape glared are the amusement in her voice and considered its ramifications.
“Beneath you, you mean?”
 
Minnie laughed softly. “Hey, I’m not complaining, beautiful.”
 
Snape narrowed his eyes impatiently and reached for his wand. “Nox.”
 
Minnie scowled. “Lumos,” she said. The room became brighter than before.
 
With one hand around his wrist and the other drawing lazy knots on his skin,
Snape was aware the woman had not used her wand. That was not good. “Nox,” he
said stubbornly.
 
Minnie growled and swatted him crossly. “What’s your problem? Lumos,” she said,
more softly than before.
 
A more gentle light filled the room.
 
“I don’t want the light on,” Snape persisted.
 
“Why?”
 
Snape gave the woman a poisonous look. “My scars.”
 
Minnie sat up and fixed the man with a look. He was being ridiculous. “The
scars that are probably wet with my saliva by now? Those scars?”
 
The man scowled at her expression of affectionate exasperation. He deigned not
to answer.
 
Minnie sighed and without warning flipped him over onto his stomach. To silence
Snape’s protests she warned him with a light swat. Surprisingly, the man
immediately quietened.
 
“Good boy,” Minnie found herself murmuring.
 
The scars truly were horrendous. Minnie traced her fingers along them angrily
before bowing her head to cover them with her mouth. Her kisses alternated
between almost lovingly soft and possessively hard. Snape found himself
writhing beneath the woman’s lips wishing very much that she would move her
talented mouth around to encircle a very specific part of him. He rolled over,
but the woman merely flipped him back into place. Twisted woman. She allowed
her tongue to roam the curve where his arm became his rib and along his limb,
swirling her tongue upon the crease of his elbow; down his forearm and between
his fingers, sucking on his index in a way that really was driving him crazy;
taking his entire fist into her mouth and squeezing her tongue beneath his
fingers in a way that was also bizarrely enjoyable.
 
“Please,” he groaned.
 
Minnie removed her mouth from around his hand and lapped away the excess
wetness. “Please?” she questioned, moving down his body to lick the –scarred-
undercurve of his sculpted ass in a way that made him wriggle and even forced
him to whimper with need. She traced her swollen lips lightly down his
–scarred- thigh and nuzzled the back of his knee. Minnie made it to the thin
skin covering the inside of his ankle when Snape started to kick. She moved her
head and bit the fleshy inside of his thigh a little harder than usual.
 
“If you dare move,” she admonished, “I will stop.”
 
“Don’t stop,” Snape pleaded. Fuck. She hadn’t even looked at his cock yet but
here he was already begging.
 
“Don’t make me,” was the woman’s retort as she threw him onto his back. Snape
met her hungry eyes and forced himself not to move. She grinned at him, the
warning not quite faded from her eyes, and she bent down to latch herself onto
the salty chords of his neck. When every visible expanse of his flesh tingled
and shone with a mixture of his own thin sweat and the woman’s warm saliva, the
man broke.
 
Minnie had tasted down Snape’s body and back up again, leaving all of him
shining except the fevered flesh where he wanted her touches most. Currently
she was circling his belly button with her tongue in a way that could have been
brave if Snape had not been such a clean freak. Before long she was flicking
her tongue in and out of his naval with increasing aggression. If she was any
less careful he would bleed on her tongue, and yet Snape had few qualms about
the prospect of losing his bellybutton’s virginity. The discomfort somehow
felt... good.
 
But part of him needed her more.
 
Snape interrupted the tongue-fucking to angle himself towards Minnie. Watching
what she was doing was making it too difficult to think but he was aware he
very much wanted her mouth that one place that was being so fully ignored.
 
The woman cracked her hand briefly against Snape’s rear and held it there
cupping him warmly. With Snape contorted vulnerably in the almost-crab position
Minnie caught the emotion that burst in the man’s eyes and betrayed him.
 
Yes, she did notice just how much he had liked that.
 
“Didn’t I warn you not to move?” Minnie said in a low voice.
 
Painfully, the man nodded. Which should concern him more? That she had yet to
run her tongue down his swollen length, or that she had realised how he felt
about pain?
 
Minnie drawled, “What did I tell you would happen if you disobeyed me?”
 
“You’d,” Snape swallowed, finding his throat was dry, “stop.”
 
“Alright,” said Minnie as she pulled back.
 
“No!” Severus could not help but cry out. He thought she might be teasing, but
he really, really, wanted her lips on his skin, and not moving further away
from him.
 
Minnie met Snape’s eyes.
 
“Please,” said Snape, “please, don’t stop.”
 
Before Snape had quite finished the sentence Minnie bowed her head and took him
in his entirety into her mouth.
 
Yes! Yes that was exactly what he wanted, what he needed. Her mouth was so warm
and soft and perfect and fuck why was she moving her tongue like that and why
hadn’t she been doing that all night?
 
“You want me like this?” the woman rumbled against him.
 
Snape’s arousal had been heightened unbearably by the teasing and Minnie’s
speech was more than he could withstand; the vibrations sent Snape swiftly over
the edge and he came hard. Minnie swallowed faithfully and pulled herself up to
meet his eyes. He kissed her even harder, enjoying knowing the taste of her was
now him, and when they eventually pulled apart, Snape was hard again.
 
Minnie charmed her playsuit onto the chair near the bed. Snape tore away her
thin, frilled knickers and without preamble plunged into her. It was about that
point he noticed he had no idea what had happened to his boxers. Then the woman
twined her legs around his waist and pressed her nails slightly into his skin;
he promptly forgot about his underpants entirely.
 
***
 
Snape woke to a kiss and a fully dressed Minnie a few hours later. “Morning,
beautiful,” she said. “’Fraid I’ve got to go to work now but Tom’s making your
breakfast.”
 
Snape was immediately awake and stretched. Minnie noticed the glamour on the
inside of his left arm remained.
 
Snape was sitting up watching her. She grinned and brushed his black hair from
his face. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” she said.
 
Snape spoke as the woman walked towards the door. “You never gave me a name,”
he said.
 
“It’s North,” said Minnie, smiling ruefully as though she could not comprehend
the motives of her parents’, “North Swallow.”
 
“Sure you’re not South Burns?” Snape smirked.
 
Minnie put her hand over her heart. “Oh, ouch.”
 
Unusually, Snape laughed. “Severus Snape,” he said.
 
Minnie walked back over and kissed his cheek. “Bye Sev.”
 
“Severus,” he corrected.
 
She just laughed and walked out the door. She checked in at the Butterfly House
where she changed her appearance and transfigured her clothes. Kay caught her
eyes. “You got him then?”
 
“Oh, I got him!” Minnie groaned, and the two girls spent the following hour
relating to each other their nights after they split up. After that Minnie made
her way back to Grimmauld Place.
 
Moody was arguing with Dumbledore. Minnie moved swiftly upstairs and found
Harry sitting darkly in Sirius’ room bouncing a snitch off the wall. The poor
thing kept trying to fly away but the teen kept catching it and smashing it off
the wall again.
 
“Chill out,” Minnie said.
 
Harry hadn’t noticed her come in. “You have a good night?” he asked, trying to
sound bright and keep the bitterness from his voice.
 
Minnie briefly considered the night spent with ‘Sev’ which could not have been
more phenomenal if choreographed by Irn Bru advertisers. “I had a great night,”
Minnie replied. “Now are you gonna tell me what’s up?”
 
“It’s that obvious?”
 
“Very. What’s wrong?”
 
Harry shook his head. “Never mind.”
 
Minnie sat down behind him and took the snitch out of his angry hands. “Did you
get dressed in the dark this morning?” she asked.
 
Harry scowled at her but allowed her to shrink his clothes. She didn’t stop
there. His horrendously ugly, stretched, cotton vest became a green similar to
his eyes and his jeans became a more seasonable style. His trainers were jaw-
dropping. Jessa considered shoes to be an important statement about a person.
Powerful, important people had to have awesomely eye-catching shoes. At least
his appearance was easy to fix.
 
“Thanks,” said Harry.
 
“No problem Scarhead,” said Minnie, getting up to leave.
 
“Hey Minnie..?”
 
The girl turned around.
 
*
 
It seemed everyone completely forgot about lunch, but in the late evening the
teens were summoned to dinner. Moody looked deceptively calm and the headmaster
was nowhere to be seen. Minnie found herself alone in the lounge with Moody
making idle conversation after the meal.
 
“Whelp?”
 
“Yeah, Mad Eye?”
 
“What were you upto with Severus last night?”
 
For a moment Minnie thought he knew, although she kept it from her face. Then
she realised he meant the animagus incident. “Distracting him,” she said.
 
Alastor paused. “From what?”
 
“From whatever you were discussing at the meeting,” Minnie said accusingly.
 
“Oh,” said Moody. He wondered if he should tell the other man this.
 
Minnie went to bed that night and spent at least half of it talking to Harry.
He wasn’t so bad, for a half-blood.
 
The following night Minnie spent at the club. She felt her heart racing when
she caught sight of her most recent lay, even though she cautioned herself he
might not acknowledge her again. After all, he’d already fucked her; he had no
reason to continue entertaining her.
 
Minnie allowed almost an hour to pass before she left the protective gaggle of
friends and crossed the room to the bar. She would sit for the length of a
drink, without nursing it, and would do nothing more provoking than smile in a
welcoming yet distant manner. If Snape approached her, she would certainly
reply, but if he did not, then she would return to the dance floor. She
absolutely, positively was not allowed to make the first move.
 
Snape saw North approach the bar and sit down, not beside him, and order that
bizarre drink again. Although he had told himself it was irrelevant, he felt a
little pain that she was ignoring him. He was about to turn away when she met
his gaze. Her smile was wide and bright and for a moment Snape was comforted.
 
Then Snape realised she was not going to walk towards him. He turned away and
spoke to his nearby associates. When he turned back North was turning her face
towards him again. She smiled warmly. ‘Come here,’ he mouthed.
 
North’s smile widened. “You know I don’t take orders.”
 
Hesitantly, although he tried to make it look as though he wasn’t, Snape took a
few steps towards her. If she chose to turn him down now it would be in front
of a number of his peers, and needless to say all the servants of the Dark Lord
would hear of it.
 
Minnie crossed the rest of the space between them. “Hey babe,” she said softly.
 
Snape squinted at her mockingly. “What happened to your ego?”
 
North grinned wickedly and affected a flamboyant posture as she twisted her
hand in his lapel. “You like this better Sev?”
 
Good, North was acting fully involved again. Snape scowled at her, although his
heart was thumping cheerfully. “You know not to call me that.”
 
“Of course not, Sev,” replied North. “Are you ready to go?”
 
Snape’s eyes widened in surprise. “Now?”
 
Minnie shrugged. “If you don’t want to…”
 
“No,” said Snape, “Don’t be ridiculous: of course I want to.”
 
The delighted flash of North’s teeth was dizzying. She turned towards the floos
and Snape followed. When the woman bumped her hand against his for the third
time Snape took it.
 
North kissed Snape before she stepped into the fireplace. “I’m glad you’re
here, beautiful.”
 
Snape followed her. She paused momentarily at the reception before leading him
up to the same room as before. This time she was wearing a skirt and for once
Snape appreciated stairs –he was walking behind her, after all. North unlocked
the door and unexpectedly wrapped her fingers in Snape’s shirt front, dragging
him inside.
 
Snape took the opportunity to slide his hand underneath her skirt and cup her
warm, pert rear. She grinned as he did. “You gonna fuck me, Sev?”
 
“Severus,” ‘Sev’ corrected sternly, playfully tracing his fingers along her
bottom. “And yes,” he promised, “I am.”
 
Without the platforms North fit perfectly under Severus’ arm. “Good,” she said.
 
Severus brought his roaming hand around to the front of her. “I’m not wearing
underwear,” Minnie said unnecessarily.
 
Severus’ breath caught when he realised the woman was already ever so slightly
wet. “You want me this much?” he asked gruffly.
 
“I want you more…”
 
Lie or not, Severus found himself growing achingly aroused at North’s comment.
She pushed her hand between his legs and tilted her head to kiss him. When she
pulled away the air seemed thick and his trousers were uncomfortably tight.
North hadn’t taken back her hand.
 
“Go stand by the bed,” she ordered, “then strip for me.”
 
Severus was already moving to comply when he turned back. “Strip?” he said
awkwardly.
 
Minnie closed the door and met the man’s eyes. “You can unbutton your shirt
first.”
 
Severus felt his face burning against his will and bowed his head to slowly
fumble with his buttons. His fingers felt thick and he felt stupid. Severus
watched the woman’s face from beneath his sooty lashes as he obeyed, and
sneered to her when he finished, if only to keep his lips from trembling.
 
North met his eyes and her raised eyebrows compelled Severus to slide off his
shirt. The garment dropped silently to the floor and for the longest time the
woman stared at his chest.
 
“Unfasten your shoes and take them off slowly,” Minnie said, finally pitying
him. Severus obeyed. “Remove your socks now too.”
 
Severus did not understand that command –she’s seen his feet last time, after
all, so she must have noticed how long and monkey-like his white toes were.
When he thought North might say something stern about his procrastination, he
bent down to comply.
 
“Now stand,” the woman demanded when Severus had finished, and started to try
to bury his feet into the carpet. “You may take off your belt and bring it to
me.”
 
Severus’ eyes darted towards hers’ for reassurance. She quirked one eyebrow at
him and that gave him reason enough for his hands to move down to his buckle.
He unfastened the belt and slowly threaded it out the loops as he stepped
towards North.
 
The woman took the piece of leather from his hands and doubled it over. A
thrill of fear crackled down Severus’ spine. North held the belt flush against
his side and placed her thumb and index finger along Severus’ jaw, which she
then pulled down in order to kiss his mouth.
 
She moved back. “Now you are going to return to the side of the bed and undo
your trousers.”
 
Severus crossed the floor and North dropped down the belt. She watched him
fumble with the button of his fly, and then the zipper.
 
He raised his head and met her gaze. “Drop them,” she said. He did, and she
stepped towards him. She sat down on the bed and raised her ankle to his hand.
Severus braced her foot gently and unbuckled each of her patent heels in turn.
She then mutely raised her arms in a toddler fashion and he pulled off her
shirt.
 
Severus then reached down for her hips and tugged her towards him. “This is
coming off too,” he said as he reached for her skirt. The garment fell to the
floor and Minnie’s breathing quickened. He had left her in only her bra. She
met his eyes and he reached over to snap open the clasp between her breasts.
Her last piece of modesty fell away.
 
Severus tweaked the piercing at her naval. “I must confess to feeling
overdressed,” he admitted.
 
“Let me help you with that,” the woman said, and pushed down his shorts.
Severus met her eyes and waited for her next suggestion. She gazed pointedly at
the bed and he lay down. North stepped over and straddled him. He reached up to
cup her breast.
 
“You have such gorgeous eyes,” Minnie blurted.
 
Severus’ expression turned wary but as North reached down to brush away his
hair from his face he seemed to relax.
 
“Isn’t that my line?” he smirked.
 
“Not when you’re so pretty,” the woman teased.
 
Severus scowled. “I’m far from ‘pretty’.”
 
North carded her fingers through his dark hair. “I wasn’t allowing you an
opinion.”
 
Severus scowled again. It only made the woman laugh, and she bent down to
bruise his lips.
 
“Shall I point out you look like a cute little boy when you scowl?” North
teased.
 
“Shall I point out looking like a little boy made you kiss me?”
 
To Severus’ frustration North just seemed to find this funny. “Aren’t you
cranky when you’re complimented,” she mocked.
 
Severus opened his mouth to reply just as North began brushing her fingers
along his nipples. “My mark’s fading,” he found himself saying.
 
North tweaked a nipple and met his eyes curiously. “Your mark?”
 
Severus twisted his neck to show her the bruise.
 
“You’re asking me to reapply it?”
 
Severus nodded. Minnie complied and when she pulled away, her breath no longer
warm on his throat, he brought his fingers up to trace the wetness. He didn’t
say anything. The woman dropped a kiss on his face and reached down to fondle
him.
 
“I had a glamour over it,” the man said. “Are you angered?”
 
North’s fingers continued to move upon him. “That depends,” she said, “Do you
think I should be?”
 
Severus was beginning to rethink his rash impulse. “Possibly,” he said.
 
North could anticipate where this game was going. “Well do you belong to me?”
 
“Yes,” Severus said hesitantly.
 
“But you were concealing my claim on you?”
 
“Yes,” said Severus, equally as hesitantly.
 
“And you think I should disapprove?”
 
“Maybe.”
 
“And if I did?”
 
Severus met her eyes. “If you did…”
 
“Do you think I should punish you?”
 
Severus squirmed beneath her. She had had no problem swatting him their first
night, right? “Possibly.”
 
Minnie stopped stroking him and met his eyes seriously. “So theoretically, how
do you think you might deserve to be punished?”
 
“A spanking, perhaps?”
 
“A hand spanking?” the woman confirmed.
 
Severus nodded uncomfortably.
 
“On your bare bottom?”
 
He gave another uneasy nod.
 
Minnie’s lips curled slowly. “And should you be put to bed straight after?”
 
Severus’ head was bowed, but he gave a tentative smile at North’s suggestion.
 
“Well,” said North, “I think I should perhaps punish you, to ensure to
discourage you from such naughty behaviour in future.”
 
Severus met her eyes, and North reached out her hand. “Yes,” she declared
playfully, “a bare-bottomed spanking is exactly what you need after being such
a naughty boy. You’re lucky I’m not choosing to slipper you after what you
did.”
 
Minnie shifted to the edge of the bed and pulled Severus towards her. He
scooted over and she helped position him across her lap. She curled her arm
around his torso to hold him in place.
 
“A good long spanking, is that what you need, Severus Snape?” the woman
queried, stroking his ass comfortably.
 
“Severus Tobias,” Severus whimpered.
 
“Do you deserve a long spanking, Severus Tobias?”
 
“Yes, I do,” whispered Severus Tobias Snape.
 
Minnie placed her hand on the man’s cool, pale bottom and he immediately
stiffened. She raised her hand and brought it down moderately lightly. Severus
yelped, more surprised by the noise of a palm striking his rear than anything
else. North began delivering a smack to the fullness of either cheek and upon
the crease. After a few circuits Severus’ spanked bottom had become a pale,
rose pink. At this, North raised one leg and turned her attention to the newly
exposed undercurve of his rump. Here, where she knew Severus would be extra
sensitive, she began to spank him more unsympathetically, although still not
bringing his colouring to a darker shade of pink. Severus began squirming,
despite not being punished very hard. It wasn’t that his sit spot was an
exceptionally vulnerable area: his member had become trapped when North had
shifted him, and was now being rubbed rather disturbingly each time he was
struck.
North began to deliver a scolding in rhythm with the swats. “Your behaviour has
been exceedingly naughty,” she admonished, concentrating very hard on keeping
the smile from her voice. “You know better than to conceal your ownership,
Severus Tobias. I am very disappointed you behaved in such a way. What do you
think of your behaviour, Severus Tobias?”
 
She was expecting him to answer? When she was raining smacks down on his sit
spot?
 
“Naughty,” he gasped. Fuck, but he was enjoying this.
 
“What was, Severus?”
 
“*Ow*, er, my behaviour… I was ex-exceedingly naughty!”
 
“And do you know what happens to naughty boys, Severus?”
 
“Yes…” he hissed.
 
“Tell me what happens to naughty boys Severus.”
 
“They get sm- punished.” Embarrassed by the word, Severus’ face was taking a
slight hue similar to that of his posterior.
 
“And how do they get punished?” Jessa pressed. She slapped his rear firmly for
emphasis.
 
“They get smacked!” Severus exclaimed. Ouch!
 
“Where do they get smacked?”
 
“On their bottoms!”
 
“Where else do naughty boys get smacked?”
 
Severus considered. “Their arses?”
“Language, Severus Tobias!” she scolded, smacking him especially hard.
Severus yelped and bit back the self-deprecating laughter he could feel rising
in his throat. *That* one had hurt. He considered the question again and
hazarded, “Their legs.”
“Why do naughty boys get spanked on their bottoms or their legs?”
 
“For being naughty.”
 
Minnie pressed, “But why do they get spanked for being naughty?”
 
Severus thought about this. “Because it hurts?”
 
“And where do you hurt, Severus?”
 
“My arse. *Ow!*”
 
“Try again Severus.”
 
“My bottom,” Severus pouted.
 
“And why is your bottom hurting?”
 
“I was naughty…”
 
“I see. And did you keep your trousers up?”
 
“No.” What?
 
“How are you being spanked then?”Minnie questioned, casually landing a harsh
smack that made him flinch.
“On my bare bottom!”
 
“And why is that?”
 
Severus hung his head for a moment, simultaneously amused and embarrassed.
Really, he was going to say that again? “I was naughty!”
 
“Remind me what naughty boys deserve.”
 
“A spanking!”
 
“Tell me what a spanking is, Severus Tobias.”
 
Seriously? “A smacking! On my- ow!”
 
“Pardon, Severus?”
 
“On my bum! A spanking’s when I get lots of smacks on my bare bum for being a
naughty boy!”
 
“Very good, Severus,” the woman said abruptly. She delivered a final swat on
his pinkened bottom –bumping him hard against her lap, then began to rub
circles soothingly on his tenderness.
 
Shit. That last smack had just made him come. And on her leg. That would not
have happened if he was circumcised. His wretched foreskin just insisted on
being damnably sensitive didn’t it? She was going to think he was some sort of
pervert... well... more than she probably already did anyway.
Minnie had been oblivious to Severus’ growing arousal due to the concentration
she was using on not really hurting him. She bent down to kiss his aching
posterior. “Mmm, such ruby red cheeks.” She sat back up but continued to stroke
away the hotness of his bottom until she heard him sniffle. When she did, she
pulled him upright in her lap, his legs straddling her to keep his weight off
his sore behind, and rubbed circles in his back instead.
 
“Are you alright?” she asked as she hugged him close.
 
Severus’ face was red and she followed his gaze. Oh. She hadn’t even realised.
She’d just attributed the warm wetness to sweat. And... well... her wetness. He
squirmed and whimpered so deliciously.
 
“Tsk,” she said.
 
He met her gaze worriedly. He was such a little bag of nerves!
 
The woman reached down and dipped her fingers in the warm spillage. She made
contact with Severus’ slightly wary eyes and brought her hand to her mouth. She
licked the substance off her fingers. North then bent her head and kissed where
the mess had came from, chasing away the last of the white liquid with her
tongue.
 
Severus squirmed. Minnie leaned up and whispered in his ear, “Naughty boy.”
North laughed as he quickly began to harden and she lay down on her back.
“Didn’t I promise you an early bedtime after your spanking?”
 
Severus eyed her. “You don’t mind…”
 
“Beautiful, if I minded, I wouldn’t be letting you top so you didn’t have to
lie on your pink arse.”
 
Severus smirked slowly.
 
“Don’t sit there wasting time smiling at me, Severus Tobias, you promised me a
good long fuck!”
 
Severus laughed outright and moved towards her. Minnie leant up and kissed him
thoroughly. “I want you,” she promised.
 
***
 
It was three days before Severus saw North again. He gestured for her to come
over as soon as she smiled at him. She grinned wider and complied, and he
snatched her hand as they walked towards the fireplace.
 
The first thing Minnie did upon entering their room was nip Severus’ bruised
throat to remind him he belonged to her. He smirked and to her delight nuzzled
affectionately against her.
 
“How’s your ass?” she murmured in concern.
 
“Pretty,” he said matter-of-factly.
 
Minnie laughed and slid her hand around to cup him as she pulled him into a
fierce kiss. “All of you is.” She helped him out of his shirt and bent her head
to kiss his nipples and his naval.
 
It was then than she noticed how pronounced his bones were. “Beautiful?” she
asked, “are you sick?” Or had he always been quite this thin?
 
“I’m fine,” Severus replied, puzzled.
 
“Have you been eating?”
 
Severus felt her fingers stroke his ribs. “I may have skipped a meal.” His
stomach protested audibly.
 
North pulled away and reached for the phone.
 
“Who are you calling?”
 
“Room service,” North replied severely. “If you won’t look after what’s mine
then I certainly will. Why haven't you been eating properly?”
 
Severus scowled. “I missed one meal. I forgot.” Since when was this chit in a
position to question his eating habits?
 
“You wouldn’t have visibly lost weight from skipping a meal,” Minnie retorted.
“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
 
Severus’ scowl deepened and he absently brushed his left arm. Minnie understood
and her face softened. “Beautiful, are you alright?”
 
Alarm flickered briefly in the man’s eyes. “What do you mean?”
 
“I mean what I’m asking,” North said gently.
 
Severus moved his hand away from his hidden mark. “I’m perfectly fine,” he
snapped.
 
“Oh good,” said North, “then after you’ve eaten you’re getting a spanking for
not looking after what’s mine.”
 
Severus’ lips twitched. “Oh really?”
“You can stop looking so pleased- you’re getting a serious spanking not a play
one.”
 
At that moment a house elf appeared with a meal for Severus. North thanked the
creature and placed the tray on the bed. The elf left.
“Come here,” Minnie ordered curtly.
 
Severus glanced momentarily at the woman through hooded eyes then obeyed.
 
“Sit,” North said. When Severus settled stiffly beside her she handed him some
food. “Now eat.”
 
Severus glanced at her in annoyance yet obeyed. North continued to hand him
food until he made the mistake of reaching for it himself. She took hold of his
wrist and moved it away. “You can’t be trusted to feed yourself so I’ll do it
for you,” she scolded. His hair fell over his eyes and she habitably moved it
away. His hair was greasy.
 
Severus met her stare. It seemed greasy hair fell under the same neglecting
himself category as not eating properly.
 
Severus looked away and finished eating quickly. North pulled him to his feet
and he met her eyes again apprehensively, expecting the promised smacking.
Instead North marched him towards the en suite.
 
“What-”
 
North narrowed her eyes at him and Severus reluctantly quietened.
 
She started to run the bathwater.
 
Severus met her resolute gaze. The bathtub was filling almost immediately due
to the wonderful thing that was magic. “Strip off,” North ordered.
 
“You cannot seriously expect to-”
 
“Take off your clothes, Severus Tobias Snape, or I shall do it for you, and add
several swats for the pleasure.”
 
On meeting North’s scowl Severus toed out of his shoes and socks and dropped
his trousers. Was he seriously taking orders from this pretty little woman? He
protested, “North…”
 
“Severus,” the woman replied sharply.
 
Severus slid down his boxers and stepped towards the bath. Yes, apparently he
was going to do what she demanded. He was taking orders from his cock, that was
all. Really.
 
“Wait,” North said, dipping her hand in the water, “How’s the temperature?”
 
Severus copied her actions. “It’s fine,” he said. At the woman’s nod he
unenthusiastically stepped into the water.
 
Minnie reached for a washcloth and knelt to dip it in the water. “Close your
eyes,” she murmured, gently bringing it to Severus’ face. Severus flushed yet
leaned into the contact as she bathed him. It was sort of nice. Sort of. He
could tolerate this since he was going to have a magnificent fuck afterwards.
The tenderness and efficiency with which she excavated the shells of his ears,
pink from the water’s heat, left him in awe. Had he ever been treated so gently
before? She moved the cloth along his body, making him wriggle when she
deliberately tickled his chest, then lifted each of his legs up to lather them
and rub them down.
 
“Stand up,” North said softly.
Severus stood and allowed her to wash the intimate parts of his body. He
flushed when his member became interested in the activity although North
continued regardless and kissed the offending organ murmuring an, “All clean,”
when she was done.
 
“Sit down now beautiful.” North was reaching for a jug and two bottles.
 
Merlin but he hated having his hair washed. “Not conditioner too,” Severus
pleaded.
 
“Severus…” North said warningly.
 
Severus sighed and sat still as she rinsed his hair. She began to lather his
hair gently and even when she rinsed the shampoo away, squeaking his hair to
show him it was clean, North did not allow any of the shampoo (or even the
water) to reach his eyes. She then insisted on repeating the ordeal with the
conditioner, but that experience turned out to be pleasurable also. The liquid
smelt pleasant and the kind way North was treating him, without pulling his
hair or stinging his eyes, soothed Severus. She was taking the time to look
after him. Silly wench.
 
North drained the bath and wrapped Severus in a thick, fluffy, bath sheet sized
towel. She dried him off and then led him back through to the bedroom. Severus’
good mood fell slightly as North pulled away from him and sat down on the bed.
He dropped the towel and grudgingly settled on her lap.
 
Severus’ skin was still damp and when North slapped his bottom hard it really
hurt! She immediately concentrated on his sit spots to turn them a burning red.
Severus found himself crying out and whimpering and at some point found his
eyes filling with unshed tears. He wasn’t sure if it was the punishment itself
(on his damp skin) or the reason behind it that was causing him most distress.
He didn’t ask her to stop. North sensed Severus was close to breaking so landed
six swats then peeled Severus off her lap and comforted him. “Will you look
after yourself?” she asked sternly.
 
Severus swallowed a sob and agreed.
 
“There’s my good boy,” North murmured. When the man composed himself she
murmured, “Looks like I’m going to have to let you top again beautiful.”
 
Severus managed to reach her eyes and curled his lip. “Quite.”
 
North began to kiss him, lying down and pulling him atop her as she did.
Severus wrenched his lips away and feverishly began kissing every part of her.
She was his; right now she was his. She clung onto him tightly, whispering
tender nonsense. After all, I love you; I care for you; I like you a lot, these
weren’t things she could possibly admit, and neither could he. North moved her
legs apart and cupped Severus’ face. She stared into his eyes.
 
In the afterglow, Severus rested his head on North’s shoulder. A pillow kept
his rear propped off the bed. North smiled at him and brushed his hair from his
face. “Not just a pretty face,” she said.
 
He sneered and slung his arm over her waist. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”
 
“Actually, it got me into your boxers. That’s everywhere to me, Sev.”
 
“Severus,” Severus growled, not really minding at all.
 
“My Severus,” North corrected sleepily.
 
*
When Severus woke in the morning, it was with a mind-bending orgasm. The next
thing he noticed was North’s lips grinning around his dick.
 
“What are you doing?”
 
“Having breakfast,” she smirked.
 
Severus sat up to look at her properly, and hissed, his hand immediately moved
to his rear.
 
“Will you be alright beautiful?”
 
“Of course,” Severus muttered dryly.
 
“You better be,” said North. Then she smiled dangerously. “I got Tom to promise
he’d put you across his lap if you don’t eat all your breakfast.”
 
Horror spread across Severus’ face. “I know Tom!”
 
North grinned and kissed Severus goodbye. “You’d better be a good boy then.”
 
***
 
Minnie arrived home before Severus. She took a dark tome up to Siri’s room and
began to read. At some point Harry joined her and they quietly spoke for a
while, pausing comfortably for long enough that Minnie managed to finish
several chapters on how to hurt people.
 
When Severus returned to Grimmauld Place there was an Order meeting which
required the presence of Harry, several Weaslies, and a few aurors, amongst
others. Naturally Minnie declined to attend. It was when the teenagers had been
excused from the meeting that Minnie ran into Hermione.
 
The pureblood stilled. “Get the hell out,” Minnie whispered.
 
Hermione scowled and opened her mouth to reply.
 
Minnie interrupted, “I said to fucking leave, mudblood!”
 
Hermione retorted indignantly and drew her wand, which only made Minnie
angrier.
 
“This is the Black residence,” Minnie snarled. “Get your filthy blood out of my
home!”
 
“Harry owns here!” Hermione snapped. “I can visit my friend’s house whenever
it’s necessary without it being any of your concern.”
 
“He only owns forty per cent! All your brains get you nowhere if you don’t have
the breeding to access sensitive documents,” Minnie sneered.
 
Hermione paused and walked towards Minnie.
 
“Get OUT!” Minnie swiped her fingers towards Hermione’s throat. More than a
dozen steps away, a slit ripped cleanly through it and a thin line of red
beaded out.
 
Hermione whimpered in shock, panicked, and touched her fingertips to the
burning pain. Her hands came down bloody.
 
Severus and Alastor came running up the staircase at that moment, prompted by
the raised voices, and witnessed what was happening. Both noticed the lack of
Minnie’s wand.
 
Severus grabbed Minnie whilst Alastor helped the white-faced, bleeding Hermione
stay on her feet. Severus could feel the darkness crackling in the air and
turned weakly to the Granger girl to spit out the counter curse. He hadn’t seen
this curse since the first war.
 
Hermione put her fingers clumsily back to her throat. She was exceptionally
pale, and in shock, and she clung onto Moody as though she was drowning.
Severus was too sick to look at the girl he was holding; too worried to see
what might be there.
 
Moody pulled out his wand and helped Hermione sit down whilst he attempted to
heal her. “Get her out of here,” he told Severus tightly.
 
Severus spun Minnie around and attempted to drag her by the arm. “What the fuck
were you doing?” he asked.
 
Minnie stood stiffly. Severus wasn’t sure if she cared at all. He certainly
didn’t know what to do. Then she met his eyes with fury.
 
“I need to calm down,” she said. “I need to… I need...”
 
Severus held her as she started to quiver.
 
Then she threw him from her and bolted to her rooms.
 
*
When Hermione had recovered enough to think, the first thing she did was find
the Black family tree, her weak body be damned. She tried every spell she could
think of until she found Kindred Jessamine Black.
 
Whose sire was Lucius Malfoy.
 
*
 
Just at the moment Severus had persuaded Minnie to leave her rooms, Hermione
ran into the corridor.
 
“You’re a Malfoy!” she screamed.
 
Without thought Minnie slit the other girl’s throat. She didn’t lift her hand
this time. She wasn’t doing it for effect.
 
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and began to heal Granger. He called for
Kreecher to bring him Moody. Hermione stared at Minnie as Severus joined the
ruptured throat swiftly. Minnie stared casually back.
 
Alastor was beside them in minutes. Minnie leaned against Severus. “Get me away
from here,” she whispered. She grabbed the man’s lapels and abruptly
transformed into a caterpillar.
 
Both men exchanged glances in confusion then Severus made a decision and took
Minnie the caterpillar up to his room before Granger saw an opportunity for
revenge. He did not want Minnie to be able to lock herself up in her own rooms
and the room that she shared with Harry could bring her into contact with
another teenager, one with only half-blood, and Severus currently did not
believe this was a sensible option.
 
Severus sat down on his room’s sole chair. “What’s going on, Miss Black?”
 
“Couldn’t think of anything else that didn’t have claws or teeth,” said Minnie.
 
That was not what he was asking. “What made you think you shouldn’t have claws
or teeth?” he sighed. She had just displayed in a spectacular fashion her
ability to cause utmost havoc without either. He could feel Granger’s blood
drying on his chest causing his shirt to stick to his body.
 
The caterpillar replied, “I can control my magic… but I can’t always hold down
my temper. I didn’t need to take that chance.”
 
Snape glowered down at her. “Without our interference you could have killed
Miss Granger. Twice.”
 
Minnie snickered bitterly. “I wasn’t trying to kill her. I was making her
believe that I was. If I was going to kill her in public I’d make sure to use
something fast-acting enough not to give anyone the chance to-”
 
Severus bent his head towards her angrily. “You made me believe it!”
 
“Not so loud!” Minnie snapped. “My ears are far too small for your tantrum. You
obviously don’t know me very well. I’m capable of using the killing curse.”
 
“That would be far too clean for a sadist like you,” Severus retorted. “And if
you had no intentions of killing her then you hardly needed to take away your
physical ability to do it, did you, little bug?”
 
“Of course I did! Even when I cursed her I wanted to run up and punch her… if I
let myself hurt her without magic I didn’t know that I could stop.” Minnie was
quiet for a while, and then she transformed back, although only into a seven
year old version of herself. The naked child clung to Severus’ shirt. “Close
your eyes for a minute,” she said.
 
Nervously, Severus warded the door closed then –much against his better
judgement- he complied. Minnie pulled out a strand of her hair and transfigured
it into a large teeshirt. She pulled it over her head and said, “You can open
your eyes now.”
 
Severus looked down at the small weight in his lap. “Why so small?”
 
Minnie shrugged. “Similar to before, but I’m calming enough to try something
humanoid. Don’t be scared: everything’s bigger to me; I’m more likely to
hesitate.”
 
“I’m not afraid of you!” Severus snapped. “Just disturbed by you.” He
considered, “You think that’s a good thing? Being small and hesitant?”
 
The tiny child shrugged with a mercenary attitude in her eyes that turned
Severus’ stomach. She said, “I’ve got my magic if I need to defend myself but
otherwise this makes me a lesser threat.”
 
Severus pressed his lips together in agitation. “You do realise I’m going to
have to bind your magic after what you just did, don’t you Miss Black?”
 
Minnie did not loosen her grip on Severus’ shirt. “You can try,” she said with
a mixture of light amusement and deadly threat.
 
Severus met her eyes seriously. “This is not a joke Miss Black. There’s no
option of not binding your magic and nothing you can do to prevent it.”
 
“I believe different,” the child declared confidently.
 
“And what makes you think that?” Severus drawled. There was a sliver of
foreboding in his voice that Minnie was too distracted to notice.
 
“Because they did it before,” Minnie said simply.
 
Severus stared at the child. Binding someone’s magic was an abhorrent act
acceptable in only the tensest situations. Who the hell had attempted it on
this deeply damaged creature before, and had she provoked it? If she had, did
he really want to know how she had done so? He quietly asked, “Who did?”
 
Minnie lifted her face to him, but her eyes were distant. She didn’t voice an
answer. There was something defensive about her expression and posture that
told Severus’ instincts that whatever had occurred had been a traumatic
experience for Minnie. The way her lips were set made it clear she had no
inclination of discussing the experience further.
 
After a pause Severus changed the subject. He began, “You know we’re going to
have to discuss what Miss Granger said?”
 
Minnie blinked back into the present. “It’s none of your right to tell him but
mine. And I am doing no such thing.”
 
“Then he is your father?” Severus surmised. That was... unexpected. Not that
he’d doubted the Granger chit’s intellect, but Jessamine had *not* inherited
her father’s restraint.
 
Minnie scowled. “Which doesn’t mean anything. All he did was knock my mother
up.”
 
“Which makes him your father.”
 
“You know him,” Minnie said accusingly. “You can’t possibly believe he’d be a
good father if he was given the opportunity?”
 
Well, no. “Draco adores his father-”
“Don’t avoid my question,” Minnie sighed.
Severus sighed himself and stood, carrying the child close to his chest. His
grip was tender, and the change from holding her like explosives near
detonation concerned her.
 
“Sir?” Minnie asked.
 
“Miss Black?” Severus replied.
 
“Will you be able to forgive me for this?”
 
Severus glanced at her in confusion. “For your father?”
 
“For the other thing,” Minnie retorted.
 
Severus nodded tersely. “I will; not that you deserve it.”
 
Minnie rested her head on the man’s shoulder. “Thank you,” she murmured.
 
“Idiot girl,” Severus replied. Minnie didn’t mind. Everything had changed so
much and she felt... so tired. And apprehensive.
 
*
When Alastor found Minnie and Severus, he had not expected to find Severus
standing with a small child clutched tightly in his arms.
 
“What the hell is this?” Moody asked.
 
Severus turned his body marginally to shield the girl protectively. “Miss Black
was disturbed by her actions and has done her best to make herself a less
volatile creature.”
 
“Are you really mad?” Minnie asked the auror uncertainly.
 
“I’m livid,” Alastor replied.
 
“Ok,” mumbled Minnie. Her tiny hands curled into Severus’ shoulders.
 
“No, whelp, nothing’s ok. What the fuck did you think you were doing?” Moody
snarled.
 
“Making sure she’d leave me alone,” Minnie answered timidly.
 
Moody stared at her. “I cannot believe you.”
 
Minnie shrugged.
 
“Don’t you fucking shrug at me, Jessamine!”
 
“Mad Eye,” snapped Severus, “you’re scaring her!”
 
“She’s scared? So she bloody should be!” Moody bellowed, “She just slit a
girl’s throat! Twice!”
 
“Perhaps we should put that information to the side for a while and consider
the other revelation for now,” Severus suggested.
 
“Or perhaps Mad Eye could just punish me,” Minnie suggested hopefully.
 
Severus lightly slapped the back of Minnie’s bare leg. “No one was speaking to
you.”
 
Alastor watched Severus tap Minnie and was surprised to find he wasn’t furious.
“Have we really been raising a Malfoy?”
 
“No,” said Minnie.
 
“Yes,” said Snape.
 
“Albus is going to love this,” Moody groaned.
 
“You didn’t tell him?” Minnie howled.
 
“Calm down,” Severus soothed. Minnie met his eyes and reluctantly put her head
back on his shoulder. She inhaled deeply.
 
Severus stroked her back and met Alastor’s eyes. “I presume Miss Granger made
it his knowledge.”
 
“Yes.”
 
At that moment Harry appeared at the door Moody had left open. “Is Minnie
alright?”
 
Severus held Minnie more tightly. She stared at Harry in confusion.
 
“Shouldn’t you be with Hermione?” asked Moody.
 
“They’ve sent her back to the school. To the infirmary, to rest up safely. I
wanted to check Minnie’s alright,” Harry answered.
 
“Mister Potter I do not consider this the safest place for you to be right
now,” Severus said tightly.
 
Minnie gave Severus a shrewd look. “Just because he’s half-blood doesn’t mean I
want to kill him. You’re a half-blood too and I haven’t hurt you.”
 
Severus curled his lip. “Miss Black I would be entertained to see you try.”
 
“You would not,” the child retorted. “And you know I wouldn’t hurt you.”
 
“Oh no?” Snape drawled.
 
“No,” said Minnie firmly.
 
Alastor sighed. “As touching as all this is I think we’d better go find the
headmaster.”
 
“Let’s not,” said Minnie. Severus narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh yes, let’s,”
she said.
 
Dumbledore, it turned out, had already decided Minnie was to return to school,
and had also contacted Lucius Malfoy.
 
“What an intelligent idea,” Minnie grumbled. “I prove I’m a vicious would-be
killer of teenagers and Dumbles sends me to a school full of them…”
 
“You said you weren’t going to kill her,” Severus snapped.
 
“Yes, but I never told him that…” she retorted.
 
***
 
Severus sighed and untwisted the arm of the small girl’s jade turtleneck. He’s
found himself picking out an outfit for the child when Minnie had expressed her
intention to shrink down a short skirt and strappy pair of heels. There was
only so many heart-attack-inducing incidents he could navigate at once.
 
Draco was irritably declining lemon drops in the headmaster’s office. “Why are
my parents coming?”
 
“It seems most opportune to discuss your half-sister, my boy.”
 
“What half-sister?” Draco repeated, for what felt like the twentieth time. The
muggle-loving imbecile was either senile or belligerently avoiding the
question.
 
“Why, Jessamine, of course,” Albus finally answered, as though he hadn’t heard
the question before.
 
Severus encountered Lucius and Narcissa in the corridor that led to the office
where Draco was becoming increasingly tempted to throttle the headmaster. The
dark-haired man had Minnie in his arms and a paternity potion, which he had
ventured down to the dungeons for, in his pocket.
 
“I never thought of you as the mothering sort, Severus,” Lucius drawled. There
was no amusement audible in his voice but it was clearly present.
 
“It would seem I have a knack for bringing up your children, Lucius,” Severus
returned evenly.
 
Lucius narrowed his eyes whilst Narcissa maintained a neutral expression. “That
child’s barely more than five year old,” Lucius replied.
 
“Seven- thereabouts,” corrected Minnie, turning to glance at her father. “But,
as I’d expect you’d know, my mother was hardly able to be bearing children
seven years ago.”
 
Lucius stared with a dumbstruck expression at the precocious child.
 
“I suppose the headmaster neglected to tell you the girl’s a metamorphagus,”
Severus drawled.
 
“Evidently,” said Narcissa. She eyed the pretty little girl with interest.
 
“I do suppose the old fool has summoned Draco?” Lucius enquired. He did not
sigh, but its presence was felt regardless.
 
“I would expect so,” said Severus, moving forward to mutter ‘blood pops’ to the
gargoyle. “As you can see I have been attending to other things.” He stepped
onto the staircase without waiting for the others to follow.
 
There were three empty chairs and a seated, irritated, Draco, in front of
Albus’ desk. Severus elegantly seated himself with Minnie in his lap and the
pair of regal blondes took the remaining chairs.
 
Minnie glanced around. Alastor was conspicuous by his absence.
 
“Are you seriously suggesting that that child is Jessamine?” Draco drawled.
 
“Looks can be deceiving,” the little girl said dryly.
 
Severus took the potion from inside his robes and sat the girl on the table.
“Let’s proceed,” he sneered, pricking Minnie’s extended thumb and allowing the
blood to fall into the potion.
 
“Lucius,” Severus intoned.
 
Lucius gave his old friend a decidedly haughty look and stood up to submit his
own blood.
 
The results were positive. Draco struggled to keep the incredulity and
discomfort from his face as his mother Narcissa reached to pluck Minnie from
the table.
 
“You intend to take her now?” said Severus. The thought concerned him but his
voice was devoid of the emotion.
 
“Of course,” replied the woman, “I want to get to know my daughter. We’ll need
to arrange for something to be done with this hair to start with…”
 
Minnie quirked an eyebrow and allowed her black hair to turn platinum. “Does
this help?”
 
Draco stared at her, his stomach tightening with the realisation Minnie looked
exactly like him. His parents had apparently not caught the impolite tone
Minnie had used.
 
“How lovely, darling,” said Narcissa.
 
“I’m afraid, of course, we cannot allow Minnie to be released into your care
straight away. She has been responsible for some very grave actions and I
cannot in good conscience wave her off without observing her behaviour to
ensure the wisdom of such a decision,” Albus intervened.
 
Lucius glared at Dumbledore. “I do suggest you expand. The place of any child
is with their family.”
 
“Of course. But it would appear Miss Black, that is, perhaps I should say, Miss
Malfoy, here was responsible for a quite violent attack on a muggle-born girl,”
supplied Albus.
 
“Who?” asked Draco.
 
“Granger,” Minnie said disgustedly. “It was hardly a terrible incident.”
 
Ignoring her comment, Albus continued, “Not only were her actions potentially
lethal but the curse that I am sorry to report Jessamine performed twice was a
very high degree of dark magic. Without involving Severus here’s expertise it
is highly likely the other young lady would not have survived.”
 
Lucius raised his hand for pause. “Are you telling me,” he drawled, “that my
daughter performed a high calibre of lethal dark magic on a student no other
than Hermione Granger?”
 
“Correct,” agreed Severus.
 
“Then I am afraid I have no choice but to give you a very long grounding…
Jessamine,” drawled Lucius.
 
Draco bit down hard on his laughter. Malfoys did not display a sense of humour.
 
“I understand… Father,” smirked Minnie.
 
“Perhaps we may excuse the children now to discuss practicalities,” suggested
Narcissa.
 
“I’m afraid Minnie is required to be supervised during all interaction with
other teenagers,” Severus pointed out.
 
“Why Severus,” said Lucius slowly, “are you suggesting my son is a
*muggleborn*?”
 
“Not at all,” Severus replied, “it’s hardly Draco who worries me.”
 
Minnie sighed and held her palm up. “Sir, I promise not to kill anyone, ok?”
 
Severus nodded suspiciously and watched the girl slide down from the desk.
“Miss Malfoy.”
 
Minnie met his eyes at the strange name. “Yes sir?”
 
“Only go to the Slytherin common room and do not let me find you at your proper
height, is that perfectly clear?”
 
Minnie sighed again and reached up to hug the man. “Alright.”
 
Severus ignored that sin and opened his mouth. “And Miss Malfoy?”
 
“Yes sir?”
 
“No irritating the Bloody Baron again either. And resolutely avoid Peeves or
else.”
 
“Understood sir,” Minnie grinned, and followed Draco from the room.
 
Lucius met Severus’ eyes to convey he had indeed seen a small girl interrupt
the scary potion master’s lecture to hug him. Severus glared back.
 
“Ah, now, practicalities…” Albus began.
 
*
 
Pansy was the first to turn around in her chair to see Draco enter holding
tightly to the hand of a white-blonde little girl.
 
“Draco, who’s that?” she asked curiously. Small children were an unusual
occurrence at the school.
 
“My sister,” Draco replied. The words felt strange in his mouth, much as
Minnie’s small hand felt strange in his own.
 
“Who can speak for herself,” said Minnie coolly.
 
Pansy sat forwards. She had been to Draco’s home plenty of times and had never
noticed any possibility of a sibling. “Since when did you have a sister?”
 
“My half-sister,” Draco elaborated, settling into his chair tiredly and
watching Minnie hop onto the arm casually.
 
“I’m a bastard,” the small child said pointedly.
 
The Slytherins blinked at the word coming from the girl’s mouth.
 
“She’s as pretty as you,” said Pansy.
 
“Fuck off Panse,” Draco replied.
 
“Oh, charming,” said Pansy, “you shouldn’t be using that sort of language near
influential little kiddies. And if you ever think to speak to me in that manner
again I’ll be sure to tell Minnie when she’s back. I’m sure she’d be far from
impressed by your unchivalrous behaviour.”
 
“Yeah, Drakey, just wait,” said Minnie.
 
Draco narrowed his eyes at her. “You can watch it, little sis.”
 
Minnie leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Who says I’m the youngest?”
 
“Fuck off Minnie,” said Draco.
 
The collective Slytherins turned to look at Draco.
 
“Minnie?” repeated Blaise.
 
Draco sighed. “Everyone, meet my half-sister, the metamorphmagus, Jessamine
Malfoy Black.”
 
“Black Malfoy,” protested Minnie.
 
Draco smirked at the girl. “Hey, if our father has his say in the matter it
will be plain Malfoy.”
 
“As if there was plain Malfoy anything,” Minnie muttered.
 
Draco quirked one eyebrow. “Quite.”
 
*
Severus held the arms of his chair in a tight grip. It was the only outward
indication that he was in an irritable mood. ‘Discussing practicalities’ had
eaten into hours of his time, although at least the Malfoys weren’t being
handed Minnie for a week or so at least. Severus was disinclined to admitting
such things but he really did not want to see the girl, as utterly madcap as
she was, in his dear old friend Lucius’ cruel clutches. Of course, there was
the likelihood of the girl spending the bulk of the summer weeks at the Prince
mansion, as Draco always did. The boy would have been appalled if Severus had
suggested spending any of that time at the small house in Spinner’s End, but at
that moment, Severus was rather longing for those few days of the holidays that
Severus would spend there.
 
The reason for this, of course, was the club. Or rather, the woman Severus had
been looking out for at the club. With all the goings-on there was no
possibility of Severus escaping any time soon, which meant his most likely
reprieve from Albus’ plotting would be the next Death Eater meeting: and of
course that was no reprieve at all. Severus was not a person who relaxed easily
but the ‘North’ woman seemed to be capable of relaxing him almost instinctively
–he’d fallen asleep three times in her presence, and not only that, but had to
be physically wakened by her also. He didn’t relax enough to sleep that easily
in the company of just anyone.
 
An evening with North was precisely what Severus needed to shake the events of
the day from his mind for a much needed few hours. Severus was not stupid: he
knew he’d slept with North three times; knew that was often the limit for an
entirely casual relationship; and knew he was already far too much involved
with the woman. He was at this moment pining for her- a sure sign that he
should immediately cut out this addiction.
 
The most worrying thing was that Severus knew he did not intend to- he was
going to find a way to leave the school tomorrow night in the hope he would
find North at the club. She might not be there; she might not decide to even
acknowledge him, but Severus had to go tomorrow. Perhaps the best thing would
be if North decided to ignore him. It would stop this foolish infatuation,
whilst Severus knew that if she wasn’t there, or if she slept with him again,
he would continue going back. He knew he had to stop this, and stop it soon,
but for the first time in he couldn’t remember how long, Severus simply wanted
to play weak and be left to dally with the woman forever until fate intervened.
He had not forgotten that if he continued to see her he would without a doubt
get hurt, yet he was alarmingly willing to damn himself and let himself get
hurt if it meant not throwing away the relationship –what relationship?- that
he had with North.
 
Severus got up and stared into the smoky mirror over the fireplace. His hair
was hanging in his face again, which he knew fine well was an action he had
adopted to hide from people, but he combed it gently away with his fingers to
expose his eyes –the way North did. His nose, he knew, was a lost cause, but he
glanced over the rest of his features, wondering how they gauged, before
forcing himself to meet his own eyes. They were hard, and accusing, and
confused, and bitter, and miserable. Unless North was a complete sadist into
that sort of broken person, and Severus rather doubted she was from the
protective way she pulled him towards her for a snuggle, then Severus had no
comprehension of the supposed ‘beauty’ North, or indeed Minnie, claimed they
saw in his eyes. They weren’t ‘deep’, they were barren, and they weren’t dark,
they just lacked brightness.
 
Of course, if North heard him muttering such beliefs, Severus rather thought
she might think he’d earned another bit of discipline. Although he showed no
visible sign of the, er, spanking that Severus had received last night, his
hindquarters were still throbbing unpleasantly- as a reminder, North had told
him, to take care of himself. Woe betide him if he dared use a salve for the
sting, she had said playfully, resting on his chest running her fingers along
his collarbone and kissing his neck as he clutched his tender backside and
groused about the pain.
 
Well he remembered the pain now and he remembered what it was supposed to
remind him, Severus thought sulkily as his hand unconsciously slid around to
cover his sore rear. It had been horrible, having to sit down the whole time
those damned ‘practicalities’ were discussed and not let it show he’d gotten
himself spanked. What had been even more embarrassing was the fact that Lucius
and Albus both knew what Severus looked like after that particular brand of
discipline and would have quickly understood if Severus had squirmed. Not to
mention young Draco had been pulled over his knees over enough consecutive
summers that he would probably have made the right conclusion if Severus hadn’t
hidden his discomfort.
 
Damn her! Severus thought irritably, trying to force the assurance out of his
head that if he were with North now she would be peeling down his boxers and
kissing him better. And that he’d liked the punishment.
 
North kissed him rather a lot. Despite the rather predatory stance she stood in
most times when she regarded him, there was affectionateness in the way she
spoke to and treated him that Severus rarely found in other casual lovers.
There was more of a ‘friend with benefits’ aura around her, as though she
already liked him and the sex was just an additional gain.
 
Severus snarled at himself frustratedly. So North was unusual. That did not
mean, nor would it ever mean, that she liked him, and he should not think of
her as a friend. He’d only met her three times! Even if each of those three
times she’d held him and stared lovingly into his eyes as though he were
‘precious’ or something it did not mean she liked him. Period. It meant she was
setting him up or after something or crazy possibly, but it did not mean she
actually enjoyed his company. Of course, if she was crazy, maybe they could
enter into a relationship after all.
 
There could be no relationship! Severus was a spy and even if it wasn’t
ridiculous, the idea of him being in a –ha!- loving relationship, well, he
didn’t deserve one anyway. He was a poisonous, evil, twisted man who did not
deserve love or any pleasure or happiness unless it was torn from him to punish
him even more.
 
Severus was aware if Albus knew he was having these kind of thoughts he could
expect a scolding far more painful than any swats North had bestowed. The
thought of receiving Dumbledore’s wrath in addition to his already tender
behind was enough for a childishly fearful knot to tighten in Severus’ belly.
 
Angry with himself, Severus poured himself some firewhisky. Albus and his
accurate tongue-lashings be damned.
 
Severus glanced at the bottle and sent it back to the cabinet. Drinking in
excess of the glass he had already poured as he had intended (half a bottle of
it, had been his original intentions) was probably not, he thought, what North
considered to be ‘looking after himself’. It seemed there was a lot North would
be displeased with, if Severus allowed her to glance in at his life. Although
after the spanking, of course, she would insist on holding him and cuddling him
and somehow making him laugh and then she would lick all up and down his body
and they’d have rounds of mind-bending sex until about three or five in the
morning.
 
Although, the thing Severus liked about North was that he wasn’t required to
misbehave before she decided to pull him onto her lap and squeeze him to death.
The sex also seemed like one of those things she was generous with.
 
Severus thought about coming home bloody and drained in the small hours of the
morning and North having waited up for him in their, his, bed, demanding sex.
Would she be able to lighten his mood, and if he angrily pushed away from her,
how would she react?
 
That led, of course, to the question how would she react to the lovely
disfigurement he’d begged to have burnt onto his left arm. Would she be furious
with him if she found out? Would she cry? Would she be disgusted and hate him?
Would she be pleased?
 
Did she already suspect?
 
And if he told her about the Order would she join? Would she pester him about
doing his job? Would she be bullying him to be risking his neck spying on
Voldemort?
 
Severus emptied his glass and made his way to bed, aware he was rubbing his
bottom, and not caring in the slightest. As he got undressed he pushed down his
boxers and stared at the discolouration North had not left there. At least half
of the sting was imagined. Would she strike him harder if he asked, or would
she think he was some kind of freak?
 
Severus covered himself up and climbed into his bed, imagining he could feel
her cuddling against him, stroking his hair.
***** The Playing Field *****

Author's notes: Minnie navigates her already split loyalties, Severus navigates
his own, and some more players are introduced to the board.
===============================================================================
Harry Potter is © J. K. Rowling, Warner Brothers, Scholastic, and all others
involved.
 
Minnie, as it turned out, had found herself spending the night once more in
Moody’s arms, which she found pleasant. He hadn’t brought up any of the recent
events, and she hadn’t either. But there were a multitude of reasons why this
was not as enjoyable as Minnie would have liked it to be.
 
The main problem was that she would rather have felt Severus’ hands clasped
tightly in hers’ and his naked body pressed warmly against her own. Moody was
just *sleeping*. If Severus had her in his arms now they wouldn’t be
*sleeping*. She missed the heady feeling she got from teasing Severus and the
awe of staring into his lust-filled eyes. Of course, she was not currently
transformed into North, so if she was with Severus right now he wouldn’t want
her anyway.
 
But she had to leave first before she could see him, so not being North wasn’t
really an issue. But how to leave?
 
There had to be ways out of the castle.
 
The next problem was, once she found them, and she would find them, would the
wards alert the adults to her disappearance?
 
And if Minnie escaped without setting off the wards, *would* Snape actually go
to the club if it was during term time and he was at the school?
 
These concerns were utterly exasperating. Minnie tried to settle down to sleep,
but Moody’s warm breath on her skin was distracting and his thick arms ...
weren’t Severus’. And besides, having these urges in her tiny little body was
creeping her out because the last thing she wanted to see was anyone’s hands on
*this* skin.
 
It was still with these thoughts in mind that Minnie went to breakfast, and
found herself crossing the great hall to reach the Gryffindor table. Everyone
stared at her miniature stature. The Mudblood and the Blood-Traitor stood and
drew their wands as she approached, and she could tell without looking that Mad
Eye had gotten to his feet lest he needed to rescue anyone.
 
“Hey Scarhead,” she said swiftly, “can I have a quick word?”
 
Harry turned around, met her gaze, and immediately stood. “Yes,” he said
stiffly, already walking to the door in the hope of diffusing an otherwise
volatile situation.
 
“Thanks Potter,” Minnie said when they were outside. “Sorry I asked you in
front of... you know.” She trailed off inadequately, unsure how to phrase ‘your
best friend whose throat I’ve slit twice.’
 
Harry caught her eyes. “Yeah,” he said. “What is it?”
 
Best to plunge right in, right? Minnie asked, “Do you know ways to get out of
the castle without getting caught?”
 
Harry looked confused but nodded. Could she be trusted with such information?
“Yeah, why do you-”
 
“Will I set off the wards?” Minnie interrupted. She needed to formulate a plan
soon, or she would never sleep again.
 
Harry shook his head. “I wouldn’t expect so.”
 
Good. Good! Minnie tried not to bounce on the balls of her feet as she
breathlessly asked, “Later today can you show me where they are?”
 
“Yes,” said Harry, “but it’s not for anything bad, is it?” She looked so
relieved and excited, so she couldn’t want to do anything terrible this time,
right?
 
Minnie bit her lip. How could she describe her situation? “You know when I’ve
been meeting my friends?” she asked. Harry nodded. “Well, there’s this club I
go to… I’m kind of seeing this guy and um… I really miss him.”
 
That was a totally normal thing that sounded genuine, Harry hoped. Providing
she transformed back to herself to go out, but that really wasn’t his business.
It must be okay to help her out, and maybe it would keep her out of trouble?
“No problem,” said Harry.
 
Minnie gave him an actual unadulterated smile and thanked him. They returned to
the great hall. Harry slid back into his seat and began resignedly answering
his friends’ questions about the interaction without really answering. Minnie
raised her gaze to the staff table and smirked ‘reassuringly’ at Moody before
heading to the Slytherin table. She batted away Draco and slipping elegantly
onto the space that appeared as he moved down the bench.
 
“What,” Draco demanded sharply, “were you doing with Potter, sis?”
 
Minnie gave her half-brother a disparaging glance. “Don’t you even bother
pulling the ‘big brother’ card, small fry,” she said disapprovingly. She
reached for a small roll and began buttering it calmly.
 
“Might I remind you that you currently average approximately four feet tall,”
Draco snapped back.
 
Minnie met his eyes again and gave a smile that was reservedly warm and told
Draco she found mirth in baiting him. “But you love me, little brother.”
 
Draco narrowed his eyes. “You will refrain from calling me that.”
 
“Oh shush, little brother,” said Minnie, placing the butter knife down and
turning to face him with a teasing glint in her eyes. “Or do you not want an
answer to your very rude question?”
 
Draco looked affronted at being called rude, but was willing to ignore her
repeated use of ‘little brother’ if it got him the knowledge he wanted quicker.
 
“If you must know,” Minnie announced reproachfully, “I was eliciting his advice
on how to cause mischief for certain persons.”
 
“‘Certain persons’?” Draco quoted dubiously, “You certainly had best not mean
me.”
 
Minnie’s eyes danced at that retort. “I assure you, you ill bred albino, that I
can irritate you perfectly well without Scarhead’s insight.”
 
Draco looked suitably insulted enough that Minnie pulled him tightly to her in
an affectionate, one-armed embrace. She lifted the roll from her plate and
sedately began to eat.
 
*
Severus entered Alastor’s rooms to find Minnie looking blankly into space. She
glanced up as he closed the door beside himself and he was gratified to see the
vaguely haunted look disappear from her face to be replaced with affection.
 
“Hello, sir,” she said, standing and crossing the room to hold him in her arms
briefly. For no reason that Severus could comprehend he bent and pulled the
girl up into his own arms. She rested her head against his shoulder.
 
“Sir?”
 
“Yes Miss Black,” Severus closed his eyes irritably at the error, “Miss
Malfoy.”
 
“When I have to stay at the Malfoys’, will you come with me?”
 
Severus paused, stunned, and scrutinised the girl’s face. “You’re a Malfoy
also,” he said carefully.
 
“By blood alone,” Minnie said darkly.
 
“You fear Lucius?” Severus asked softly.
 
The child pulled a face. “You know he is sadistic and cruel…”
 
“I do,” said the man, “but how do you?”
 
“Regie taught me plenty,” Minnie returned quietly.
 
It was Severus’ turn to look momentarily haunted. “Young Regulus?”
 
Minnie pressed her face into the side of Severus’ neck. “Please do not make me
go there alone.”
 
Severus held the girl to him tightly and immediately stood. “I never would,” he
said.
 
Minnie shifted in his grasp. “Where are we going?”
 
“To inform the headmaster,” Severus said grimly.
 
Severus insisted on the girl remaining outside as he closed the door and turned
to face his employer and mentor.
 
“Tea, Severus?”
 
Severus accepted as it was something to occupy his hands.
 
“You seem preoccupied, my boy,” Dumbledore rumbled from over his teacup.
 
“I refuse to allow the girl to stay unchaperoned with her father,” Severus
stated bluntly.
 
“You do not believe Narcissa to be a threat?”
 
Severus curled his lip. “The girl is the greatest toy Lucius had ever given
her. A living, breathing, doll of a daughter, just as pretty as her bloodline
should be, and someone she can coddle without being accused of encouraging too
much effeminate behaviour.”
 
“But Lucius?” Albus probed.
 
Severus’ expression was drawn. “You remember I told you of Draco’s accidental
magic during the summer?”
 
“You said the boy had managed to apparate.”
 
“Lucius had been beating him again, Albus.” Severus’ expression was drawn. “The
damage was… considerable. I cannot in good conscience allow Miss…Malfoy, into
such a situation without a degree of protection.”
 
Albus gazed over his glasses at Severus with a look that Severus rather did not
like. The headmaster reached over to add more sugar to Severus’ teacup and said
far too calmly, “Lucius will permit this?”
 
Severus pinched the bridge of his nose. “You can inform him my presence is to
monitor and curb if necessary the girl’s violent streak.”
 
Albus popped a lemon drop into his mouth. “Your thoughts are occupied?”
 
Severus blinked away the sudden thought. “When Draco stays for the summer I may
be able to watch Miss Malfoy also. Clearly there will be problems if the girl
does not have the reassurance of her brother’s presence.”
 
“Will that be all for now, my boy?”
 
“Yes, headmaster.”
 
Albus spoke as the younger man made to leave. “Severus? I suggest you take time
away from the castle this evening for yourself. Recent events have been
unpleasant for you, I’m sure.”
 
Really, the headmaster had an uncanny knack for knowing things he shouldn’t.
“Yes Albus. Thank you.”
 
Albus waved him away. “Be well, my boy.”
 
When Severus left he found Minnie fidgeting on the chair which Severus had
deposited her upon earlier. She glanced up at him nervously.
 
“Come,” he said simply, moving to the stairway. Minnie followed and brushed her
pale hair away from her face. When navigating the corridors that led to Moody’s
chambers Minnie slid her fragile hand into Severus’, forcibly reminding him of
a younger Draco. He stopped walking and threw the girl up into his arms before
continuing.
 
She grinned into his neck. “I do know how to walk, you know.”
 
“Your legs are too short to keep up,” Severus retorted.
 
Minnie made a face, and when the man settled on the couch in Alastor’s lounge
and dropped her in the space beside him she pointedly clambered back onto his
lap. Severus put out a hand to steady her and pulled her towards his chest.
 
“How come you’re nicer just because I’m little,” Minnie grumbled, pulling back
to accusingly meet his eyes.
 
Severus glanced down at her in irritation. “It’s my new plot to disturb you,”
he replied in a mildly aggravated tone.
 
Minnie giggled childishly and hugged the man’s neck. She felt calmer just by
being in Severus’ presence. “Yes sir,” she said with an attitude that suggested
she did not believe him in the slightest.
 
Severus scowled.
 
Minnie reached up and traced the angry lines of Severus’ face. “You’ll cause
wrinkles, you know, with always frowning the whole time.”
 
“Yes, Narcissa,” Severus snapped. It was bad enough getting lectured by Lucius’
wife without hearing the child echo such sentiments.
 
Minnie didn’t seem in the least perturbed by his manner. “Seriously,” said
Minnie, “cause if you act like a dick you’ve gotta at least look pretty or no
one’s gonna like you ’cept the clever people or other dicks.”
 
“Thank you for that insight Miss Malfoy,” sneered Severus, gently removing the
girl’s fingers from his face. “However, what gives you the impression I want to
be liked?”
 
Minnie grinned. “Little kid intuition.”
 
“‘Little kids’ shouldn’t be using language such as the kind you so elegantly
described me with,” said Severus, baring his teeth slightly.
 
Minnie looked confused for a moment. “Oh, you mean ‘dick’?” she flushed. “I
didn’t mean it in a bad way sir.”
 
Severus arched one eyebrow. “Quite,” he said. “Unfortunately if I hear you
using that word again I will be sure to need to scourgify your eloquent mouth.”
 
Minnie sighed. “So what do I call, um, those?” she whined, gesturing.
 
“Young ladies in polite society do not mention such things.”
 
“Who said I was polite?” argued Minnie.
 
Severus gave the girl a warning look. “This conversation is over, Miss Malfoy.”
 
“If I’m old enough to sleep with someone I should be able to mention a guy’s…
parts,” Minnie protested.
 
Severus looked momentarily disturbed. “Forgive me, but I find it difficult to
remember such facts when speaking to a seven year old curled up in my lap,” he
drawled, “yet regardless you have no licence to discuss such things.”
 
Minnie looked frustrated. “Then how do you discuss it?” she demanded.
 
“It is not something I commonly discuss in the presence of women,” Severus
replied.
 
Minnie looked stunned. “I thought you swung for girls too,” she said.
 
Severus greyed, looking down to meet the girl’s face. “I do,” he said stiffly,
“I meant that it was something men discuss in private with their associates
when in high spirits and certain company.”
 
“Sorry for accusing you of being bi,” Minnie mumbled, embarrassed by his
embarrassment. “I kind of just assumed.”
 
Severus regarded her stiffly, reminding himself that she was more than double
the age she looked. “You were not wrong to assume,” he said crisply.
 
The girl tilted her head. “Have I pissed you off?”
 
“Only with your language,” Severus replied.
 
Minnie’s face reddened. “Sorry,” she mumbled, feeling vaguely mortified, “it’s
just habit.”
 
“See that you break this particular habit,” Severus scolded. “It is very
unbecoming for a young lady of your parentage.”
 
Minnie shyly gave a rueful grin. She was momentarily quiet before, “Hey sir?”
 
Severus met her chocolate eyes reluctantly. “Spit it out Miss Malfoy.”
 
“Take me walkies?” Minnie pleaded with a winning smile.
 
Severus grimaced at her, but stood and transfigured a stray item from his
pocket into a collar and leash.
 
Within seconds Minnie was attempting to find her way out of clothes that
weren’t as large as usual. Severus chuckled and knelt beside her, muttering a
charm he tended to use in very different situations, which stripped the puppy
of her clothing immediately.
 
Minnie stored the spell away for later use.
 
Severus scolded her still and fixed the collar around her throat before
attaching the leash.
 
Minnie jumped up at him and wagged her tail delightedly. Severus immediately
pushed her firmly into a sitting positing. He scowled into her eyes and
lectured, “Don’t you dare jump up on me, you brainless canine.”
 
Minnie barked cheerfully.
 
Those students who witnessed their potions master playing with a hyperactive
puppy in the shade of a tree that overshadowed the lake were uncertain if the
bizarre scene now burned onto their retinas was more disturbing than catching
sight of the severe man striding by balancing protectively on his hip a small
seven year old child with an expression of affection and peace on her features.
 
***
 
It had been, Minnie came to consider, surprisingly easy for Harry to show her
the various passages out of the castle. It had also given her an alarmingly
warm feeling that the boy had been pleasantly surprised to discover her
friendliness with the gamekeeper. Really, this ‘being friendly’ thing was going
too far.
 
As it was, Minnie now found herself with the problem of what to do about
disappearing for a whole night when realistically she knew it was expected that
she spend the night in Moody’s arms. Additionally, her excuse had to be
something that would not prevent her from sleeping with the man in future.
 
Bugger.
 
And that was when Minnie had the enlightened idea of claiming she was spending
the night with Draco.
 
Which meant she had to get Draco and inform him of this intention before
finding Moody.
 
Draco was seated in his throne with Pansy swallowing his face when Minnie
entered the common room. To Pansy’s distaste, upon noticing Minnie Draco batted
Pansy away from his mouth and gazed around his girlfriend to meet his sister’s
eyes.
 
“You looking for something, Princess?” he asked.
 
“You, unfortunately,” Minnie returned, ignoring the ‘Slytherin Princess’ jibe
as she wanted to enlist the boy’s help.
 
Draco gave her his full attention. “Is there a problem?” he drawled, noticing
Minnie’s aggressive stance.
 
“You owe me a favour,” said Minnie.
 
“I do not,” said Draco. “What do you want?”
 
“If Panse will let me borrow you for a minute I can tell you.”
 
Draco glanced dismissively at the girl on his lap and slid out from underneath
her elegantly. “Of course.”
 
“Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back,” Minnie promised with a light smile.
Pansy inclined her head with a neutral expression.
 
When suitably far away from anyone’s earshot Draco stood and met Minnie’s eyes
again. They were a dark colour alien to the rest of his family and as he
scrutinised them, Minnie spoke.
 
“Can I ask Mad Eye if I can stay the night with you, like a sleepover?”
 
Draco met her gaze with incomprehension. “You may,” he said carefully. What in
Merlin’s name was she planning?
 
“Will anyone notice if I’m not there?” Minnie asked.
 
Draco was thoughtful. “My bed could be transfigured into two and if we kept the
curtains closed there shouldn’t be a problem.”
 
Minnie smiled widely. “Great. So I’ll ask Mad Eye tonight then.”
 
“Wait,” said Draco. “You can at least explain what’s going on.”
 
“I’m going to test the castle wards tonight,” said Minnie.
 
Draco’s eyes moved discreetly to his half-sister’s left arm questioningly.
 
“I’ve a more carnal reason than that,” she said dryly.
 
Draco nodded, trying not to picture his sister in any vulnerable positions.
“Don’t let Uncle Sev catch you,” said Draco seriously.
 
Minnie’s eyes took on an odd sparkle at that. She said nothing, but smiled as
she turned to return to Pansy.
 
“Pureblood,” began Draco.
 
Minnie turned in concern. “What?”
 
“This has nothing to do with Potty, does it?” There was a strange hint of
something in Draco’s voice that Minnie could not quite place.
 
Minnie shook her head. “I used him to show me the ways out of the castle.”
 
“If that dirty half-blood breathed on you…” the blonde boy left his threat
unfinished.
 
“Don’t be vulgar,” Minnie replied disparagingly, “he’s Dumbledore’s boy through
and through, remember?”
 
Draco gave a half-smile. “I mean it. You can do better.”
 
Minnie smirked and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, brother. I am aware of that. I
appreciate that you believe I would stoop so low as a Gryffindor.”
 
A small amount of pink grew along Draco’s cheeks. “I apologise,” he said
gruffly.
 
Minnie nodded her acceptance and walked back to the chairs that encircled the
fireplace.
 
*
 
It was almost laughable, in a slightly nerve wracking way, how easily Minnie
managed to find herself outside the castle wards, seemingly without setting
them off although she couldn’t be certain, and apparating to a suitably dark
and unfrequented alleyway where she sufficiently transformed her appearance.
Her fashionable shorts, peacock green blouse and silver sandals, which again
criss-crossed their way up her legs, should appeal to her target’s tastes.
Hopefully.
 
Assuming, of course, that he was there.
Minnie briefly fingered the slender chain of her silver necklace and crossed
the road to queue for the club. If Severus wasn’t here, Minnie reminded
herself, she would just have to enjoy tonight’s freedom.
 
*
 
The Severus in question was currently standing shirtless before his dressing
mirror and scowling at his Mark, his arm, his body, his scars, his appearance
in general, and the skinny man in the mirror who sneered back and bared his
teeth.
 
Dumbledore had said to go out. This effectively quashed any considerations
Severus held on not going out. It was going to leave him feeling ridiculous,
Severus thought darkly, when North was absent from the club –or worse, was no
longer interested in him.
 
Severus cast a strong glamour over his blemished left arm, snarled at his
reflection, and pulled on an emerald dress shirt. Still giving the mirror
violent looks, he moved to the dresser and opened the drawer which housed the
pair of silver serpentine cufflinks which slithered up his wrists and twined
themselves into position, hissing softly.
 
*
 
Making a valiant effort not to feel crushed by the distinct lack of a Severus-
shaped silhouette at the bar, Minnie ordered a Larkhall Lady, and in rapid
succession, two dirty waiters, and for the hell of it, a blowjob shot, before
storming onto the dancefloor and convulsing provocatively against whoever
yanked her wrist. When Severus scaled the stairs to the floor he habitually
visited, he saw North dancing almost pornographically against one of the girls
she’d danced alongside before, with a half empty ’Lady in one hand and a red
liquid in the other. She turned around with a feigned look of …something, and
saw him.
 
Severus found himself gratified at the way the woman’s face softened when she
did. Then one of the females gyrating nearby said something, and North turned
to her, her face turning back to one of determination to party hard. North said
something in reply, then turned back to Severus with eyes that danced. She
downed the red drink and grinned merrily at him.
 
“Come dance with me!” she yelled over the music and noise.
 
Severus obediently crossed the floor towards her. The empty glass that had
contained the red liquid was spirited back to the bar by some other woman and
North reached her hand through the thin crowd to pull Severus to her.
 
“I didn’t think I was going to see you tonight,” she said.
 
“Are you disappointed?” Severus replied.
 
Minnie shook her head to reassure him. “Never,” she grinned.
 
Severus was forced into close proximity to North as a seemingly popular muggle
song he didn’t know caused people to surge to the dancefloor. His hand settled
around North’s waist and it remained there. He fought down the pleased feeling
this gave him, whilst also trying to shut up the voice in his head telling him
to drop her at once and leave.
 
“It’s crowded,” Severus said. “Do you want to go to the bar?”
 
The woman smiled at him. “Poor Sev, you haven’t had a drink yet, have you?” and
she led him to the bar. He was intrigued to observe how everyone surrounded her
seemed to glance at her drink, and then her face, before always moving aside to
allow them both through.
 
“What’s in that?” Severus rumbled.
 
North glanced at the drink, and then Severus. “You mean the looks I get?”
 
“The looks your drink gets, not the looks your outfit gets,” Severus teased.
 
Minnie curled her lip sardonically. “Some of the mudbloods aren’t fully used to
seeing things like it, but mainly the looks are because only certain people
order it.”
 
“‘Mudblood’ isn’t a word this place hears overmuch,” Severus commented.
 
“Sorry,” said North, “it’s only habit.”
 
Severus met her eyes calculatingly. “So which is it? Half or pure?”
 
The woman laughed. “Pureblooded I’m afraid. Yourself?”
 
“One should never be ashamed of pure blood,” Severus said carefully. “I’m only
half myself.”
 
North tilted her head. “You act like a proper wizard,” she said.
 
Severus’ lips twitched. “I shall take that as a compliment. Thank you.”
 
“Don’t make fun of me,” said North, although she was smiling.
 
“I apologise,” murmured Severus smoothly.
 
The woman moved into his space a little more. It had nothing to do with the
crowd.
 
“What people order your drink then?” Severus asked.
 
North regarded him at the change in conversation. “Just a group of people I
belong to. To do with work mainly, it allows us to recognise each other.”
 
Severus smirked, unconsciously shifting his arm. “So you know who not to
irritate?”
 
North smirked over the lip of her glass. “Exactly.”
 
To Severus’ apprehension, some associates of his own were at the bar. He had
not noticed earlier. They would not willingly admit frequenting this bar to
their lord, but they had just witnessed him with his arm around some pretty
young woman. Which was not helpful.
 
“Who’s this, Severus?” one of the men asked, leering a little.
 
North’s arm went down to circle Severus’ waist firmly. Taking strength from
this gesture, Severus said, “This is my woman, North.”
 
The men eyed her. “You’re a bit pretty for him, aren’t you?” one said bluntly.
 
North let her lip curl as she dragged her gaze up and down the man’s body. “Too
bad your boyfriend,” she let her gaze linger on the man standing closest to
him, “cannot have the same said about you.”
 
The man stepped forwards angrily, provoked mostly by her poisonous tone. “You
filthy little muggle!”
 
Minnie raised her hand slowly to reveal a white band evident on her pinkie
finger, where young ladies with prestigious bloodlines often wore gold bands
depicting their father’s crest. Just the gesture was a mark of high breeding,
and warned the man he had made a grave error in his words.
 
“Forgive me,” he said stiffly.
 
The woman smiled softly at him with one eyebrow raised. This was a highbred
signal that all was forgiven, but not forgotten, and the man had better watch
his step.
Severus was finding all of this rather unnerving, yet also felt a small wave of
awe and pride at North’s ability to cow the death eater.
 
“I am afraid it is Severus’ sin for counting so many crude characters amongst
his friends,” the woman said with a predatory smile, extending her hand to her
insulter.
“North’s not a wizarding name,” the man protested in way of an apology as he
bent his head to greet her courteously.
 
“Do you think I’d use my real name in this… place?”
 
That made sense, and the man grinned gratefully at his pardon. The death eater
to his left accused of being his lover pulled him to the back of the group lest
he cause another scene.
 
“Forgive Silíace, my lady,” the taller man murmured regretfully, “he is not
regularly in company.”
 
North inclined her head graciously, “I would see that you keep him on a shorter
leash in future Mister Fiyer.”
 
No one missed the way Severus’ eyes flicked to his lover, indicating his
ignorance as to how she knew the man’s surname. Fiyer also looked disturbed,
but continued to be polite as he inquired, “You know me, Miss?”
 
“Not for many years,” the woman replied furtively, “but my brother was fond of
you during your schooldays.”
 
Fiyer sensed the name of her brother was not to be forthcoming and nodded
respectfully. “Allow him my regards.”
 
“Of course,” said the woman, Severus catching something odd flicker in her
gaze.
 
Severus did not really want his drink now. “I think it is time we said our
goodbyes,” he suggested slowly.
 
North glanced at him, and he was heartened at her regard. “That would be nice,
beautiful,” she said, moving to press her lips to his cheekbone. Her breath
smelt, bizarrely, of cough syrup, until Severus’ mind made the link between the
glass of red alcohol and Jägermeister.
 
Severus put out of his mind the description North had used of him. The small
congregation of death eaters were wisely not making any immediate comment on
it, and Severus took this as the cue to leave. Especially since he had just
noticed their his-‘n’-hers’ outfits. North finished her ’Lady and placed it
down on the bar before allowing Severus to steer her towards the floos.
 
The collective of death eaters began to discuss this most recent scandalous
event, voices becoming less reserved with their growing inebriation.
 
***
 
“You never mentioned your birthright,” Severus accused quietly.
 
“Do you really want an argument Severus?” North retorted. She did not desire
this conversation. “I was under the impression you still found it unpleasant to
sit.”
 
Severus willed himself not to colour at the illusion to …past events. He did
not want to discuss that in any place that wasn’t private.
 
“Now do you think we could have this conversation somewhere less public,”
Minnie said pointedly.
 
Severus glanced at her, unnerved by her unusually hard tone, and was relieved
to find her eyes meeting his own softly. The woman smiled reassuringly. “I
wasn’t scolding,” she said.
 
“Good,” Severus returned as gruffly as he dared, and stepped into the flames.
 
“You would really benefit from being less frigidly reserved,” North grumbled
back, stepping out of the fire after him into the lobby.
 
Recognising her, the man at the desk sailed the room key towards her. She
smiled graciously as she took it from the air beside her and led Severus up the
stairs.
“Did I anger you?” Severus enquired softly as Minnie unlocked the door.
 
The woman turned her back to the door to look at him directly. “I was just
calling you stiff... tense,” she said, bringing her hand up to cup the man’s
jaw, “and I didn’t mean a thing by it, beautiful.”
 
Severus covered her hand with his own and stared at her with wavering eyes.
 
“Ridiculously insecure boy,” the woman scolded, pulling Severus close. “Did you
really think it was possible to make me angry with you over a silly comment?”
 
Her question was answered by his worried expression. Minnie sighed. “Get
inside,” she said, “obviously you need shown how much I hold you in esteem.”
 
Severus smiled uncertainly at that and obeyed when North gestured that he enter
the room.
 
“Slide down your trousers and boxers and lie back on the bed,” North said.
 
Severus quickly removed his boots before complying with the woman’s
instructions.
 
Minnie charmed her sandals to remove themselves and upon closing the door
bounced over to the bed.
 
“Are you going to pay attention?” she demanded, her tone entirely at odds with
her expression as she grinned and moved to hold herself over Severus.
 
The woman paused the descent of her head to glare –mouth still grinning hugely-
at Severus. “Yes miss,” he blurted.
 
“North would have been adequate,” North commented dryly, before ducking her
head to engulf him in the heat of her mouth.
 
Severus gave a short moan and raised his hips towards her. It amused Minnie
that this man, a spy no less, was reliant in schooling his reactions, yet as
soon as he was touched he whimpered and squirmed and bucked and mewled.
 
Minnie noticed Severus was keeping his hips high the whole time. She finished
the man off, savouring the incoherent noise of bliss he made, and sat down
beside him.
Severus rolled onto his side and looked at her. Minnie bent down first to kiss
him soundly, then pulled back and flipped him over. “Are you still sore?”
 
Severus rolled his eyes and twisted around to watch her. “I thought we had
established in the club that I was.”
 
“There’s next to nothing visible,” North said anxiously.
 
Severus snickered at her. “You didn’t leave any marks,” he said.
 
North met his eyes for a moment. “Was it a bludger that hit your neck then?”
 
Severus’ smile became small and content. “I don’t know, perhaps you could
remind me?”
 
Yes he was going to be entirely silent about the marks she was leaving on his
heart.
 
North moved up alongside him and kissed along his throat. “I thought you wanted
to talk.”
 
“Moodkiller,” admonished Severus. He sat up, carefully, and was surprised to
find ‘his woman’ still attached to his neck. “You have to get off of me to
talk,” he pointed out.
 
“No I don’t,” said North, “and I like it here.”
 
Affection flooded Severus’ voice, “Do as you’re told.”
 
The woman bit him lightly in rebuke. “Don’t start a fight you’ll lose Severus,”
she sing-songed.
 
Severus smirked and reached around her to hold her closely to him.
 
“So I’m ‘your woman’, huh?” North began.
 
“Why do you sound so pleased,” Severus returned, “don’t you realise this means
you’re ‘mine’?”
 
North let go of his neck to kiss his available chest. “I’m happy with that.
You’re already mine after all; so I suppose it’s fair.”
 
That’s right. She had declared him hers’. That meant it wasn’t completely
stupid to claim her at the club.
 
That meant he was being even more stupid by getting further involved.
 
Severus kissed the top of the woman’s head. “Shall we talk?”
 
Minnie sighed, sliding up his shirt to slip her fingers underneath, where they
rested on warm skin. “About which topic?”
 
“Tonight,” said Severus.
 
“What shall we cover first, that I lied about my background, or that I knew
Fiyer?”
 
“You know what Fiyer is?” Severus said.
 
Minnie met his eyes, her hand remaining on his warm abdomen. “I know what all
of those men are,” she said.
 
“And,” Severus spat the word with difficulty, but ‘North’ moved to kiss his
shoulder.
“And I’m aware of what’s on your arm also,” she said.
 
Severus felt cold, and he swallowed.
 
“That doesn’t make me dumpable, does it?” the woman asked seriously.
 
“Your brother,” said Severus.
 
“Was killed,” the woman said. “My…father…is still marked and my younger
brother… will likely take the mark with encouragement.”
 
“And what are your thoughts on it all?”
 
“My loyalties lie in people like yourself and my brother. Where your loyalties
lie I will fit in.”
 
‘Your’, Severus understood, was plural. However, he had the distinct feeling
there was something deeper stressed in her wording that he did not comprehend.
Which brother was she comparing him to?
 
He met her eyes, and she pulled back indignantly. “Don’t you dare just walk
right in!” she snapped.
 
Severus sat back, heart pounding. No one normally felt it. ‘North’ was an
occlumens. This was a trap. Someone doubted his loyalty.
 
The woman was sitting up, but to his surprise, she merely settled into a
different position, staring down at him. “You can look about,” she said
stiffly, “but you may not look at everything. I have valid reasons for keeping
my identity quiet.”
 
Severus glanced at her for a beat. He had not anticipated North offering such a
thing. He mirrored her position in order to meet her eyes comfortably. Severus
was unhappy to discover the position meant his rear hurt slightly, although not
all of his weight was on his abused parts.
 
Oh yes, that was deliberate. He could tell by the way her brows were a
millimetre higher than usual.
 
The main problem was, however, that if the woman’s skills were greater than
his, he might not be able to push her out of his thoughts if she cared to
invade.
 
“Ready,” he grumbled. This would be a stressful experience clearly.
 
“Alright,” the woman said gently, and Severus felt himself being tugged in
through her eyes to her thoughts.
 
~
A small girl is padding along a hallway in the dark. She opens the door to a
bedroom, and there is a teenage boy holding himself and crying quietly. His
hair looks black in the lack of light, but it could be any colour. Not enough
light hits his face to identify him, and his hair obscures the rest. The little
girl sneaks softly up to him and takes his pale hand tightly in her own. The
boy pulls his left arm back from being cradled against his skin and the Dark
Mark, swollen and wet and looking poisoned, gleams on his skin. The little girl
knows it is painful, worse than a snake bite, and blows a kiss millimetres away
from the tortured flesh to land there. This evidently still hurts, but the boy
seems comforted and pulls the much smaller girl into an embrace, where she
cradles his arm tight to herself instead, and the boy continues to cry.
~
 
Severus is standing shirtless in front of her. He looks starved and sick and
his eyes look tired and haunted. He looks awful. Compassion and worry and love
comes off of North in waves, and she steps towards him. North notes the
familiar way the man almost reaches for his left arm and realises he’s been
kept up late by several death eater meetings. North bites down on the anger and
urge to pull Severus behind her as though his master was there in the room.
When she calms she is still worried about the obvious neglect Severus is guilty
of, and the following events are familiar.
~
It’s too dark to see, but Dumbledore’s voice is evident from wherever the girl
is lurking near. The man is arguing Severus Snape’s good points, a surprisingly
high number of them, to someone unseen whose voice is a great deal less clear.
Then it becomes apparent that whoever Dumbledore is with is an order member, as
the conversation turns to things the girl has no interest in.
~
Severus is sleeping on the bed. His soft dark hair lies around him like the
halo of someone much younger and his nude body is stretched out in a blissfully
content pose. The visible expanse of flesh is mouth watering, and North’s hand
brushes lovingly along his warm skin. The only thing wrong with this perfect
image, in the woman’s opinion, is that the sleeping man’s eyes are closed, his
sooty, long lashes resting on his cheeks. She wants him to open his beautiful
eyes, and look at her, but she will not wake him. Then a dark expression flits
across the man’s face and he squirms, his peaceful expression becoming a frown
as a sound of distress falls from his lips. The woman is hugging him
immediately and Severus awakens in her arms to a kiss, and promptly forgets his
unpleasant dream.
~
North showed him image after image of himself, and various murky images of both
order and death eater members, leaving it apparent that the woman holds the
leaders of both in disdain.
 
Severus was shaken by the revelation that this mystery woman genuinely adored
him, and found him attractive: his face, body and even scarred skin.
 
Severus also didn’t want to know who North was just yet. He had the feeling the
truth would tear them apart, and right now all he wanted was to touch her and
feel her and taste her until the fragile moment was smashed into irreparable
shards.
 
“Severus?” Minnie said quietly.
 
***
 
“Bite me,” Severus whispered needfully.
 
Minnie looked to him and leaned over, tracing his bruised neck with her tongue.
Severus lay down and pulled her with him. He began to kiss her all over
frantically.
 
“Severus…” North began.
 
The man met her eyes, the faint gleam of pain and even madness evident there.
“Just for now,” he breathed, “let me have you for now.”
 
“You can have me forever,” the woman choked, rushing to touch him, reassure
him, feel his skin warm under her hands.
 
Severus kissed her starvingly, gripping Minnie so tight she felt the warm pain
of achieving bruises.
 
Minnie fumbled with her blouse, and Severus helped her swiftly pull the garment
over her head. He then snatched up her hips and ripped her shorts down. Minnie
wriggled and reached for Severus’ shirt. The buttons were taking much too long.
She spelled them off desperately. Severus allowed her a wary glance at another
display of wandless magic. He spelled off her underwear.
 
Minnie straddled him and bent down to kiss him forcefully, taking hold of his
thin wrists in one fist as she did. Her other hand she slid down to navigate,
and Severus groaned in need as he felt himself swallowed up by her heat.
 
“Let me fuck you so you forget who you are,” North growled into Severus’
shoulder.
 
“Yes…” Severus moaned weakly. He raised his hips.
 
North crashed down against him. “You’re mine,” North insisted roughly, her pace
brutal and possessive.
 
Severus writhed beneath her, reaching up to kiss her harshly. “Fuck…”
 
The woman met his eyes and grinned briefly. She slowed her pace teasingly
before smashing against him again. He whimpered and shifted, causing her to
gasp and clutch him a little less gently. “Want you so much…”
 
“Want you more,” Severus gasped huskily. He rocked his hips violently,
appreciating how her flesh bounced as she rode him.
 
“Yeah, fuck me…” Minnie praised.
 
Severus intensified his thrusts. “C’n you handle this..?”
 
North gave a shuddering laugh. “I can take anything you give me…”
 
“You want it like this?”
 
Minnie mewled as she clung on. “Fuck yes, Sev…”
 
Severus savoured her voice and the way she looked and felt on top of him. Her
collarbone was beginning to shine with exertion and he reached up to taste it
with a broad swipe of his tongue.
 
“Severus.”
 
When he met North’s eyes they were dark with desire.
 
“Do you want me?” Severus blurted.
 
Honesty shone in her hazel orbs. “Of course. I want you so much Sev...”
 
Severus drove himself upwards into her, tearing a raw moan from deep in her
throat. “Tell me again,” he said gruffly.
 
“I want you. I need you. I adore you. I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re
amazing- oh yes, fuck, there!” North swallowed and blinked for a few moments
then bumped against him in revenge. “I want you so fucking much.”
 
Severus plunged sharply into her. “I want…you,” he whimpered.
 
North closed her eyes once more, and moments later, when she opened them, she
was smiling down at her lover. “Don’t you forget it,” she growled.
 
Severus pressed his lips upon her shoulder.
 
North stared down at his shining torso and bucked her hips in rhythm to
Severus’ own.
 
Before long, Severus felt his balls drawing closer to his body. He was so
close. He twisted one wrist and North met his eyes. She let his hand escape and
he allowed it to settle on her hip, his fingers curling naturally around her
side and his thumb sliding perfectly into the hollow behind the jutting bone.
 
“Slow down,” Severus said quietly.
 
North obeyed and met his eyes questioningly from beneath her lashes.
 
Severus concentrated on hitting her sweet spot whilst his hand disappeared down
between the meeting of her thighs.
 
Minnie’s breathing became promptly irregular and she twitched, squirming,
gasping, under his administrations.
 
The woman’s eyes flew open and she arched back like a spooked horse. The grip
holding Severus’ wrist was suddenly tighter, her other digits entwining in the
bedsheets as she broke out in a cold sweat. Minnie was unseeing although she
simultaneously sensed her awareness of everything becoming sharper and more
intense. Her stomach was clenching. All her muscles were tightening. Waves of
pleasure cascaded over her and flooded her; her chest; buttocks and inner
thighs as her body rocked and spasmed in pleasure.
 
Moments later, inspired by North’s muscles contracting around him, Severus
climaxed inside her with a yell as North slowly came down with a strangled
howl.
 
Minnie was feeling rather melted and dazed, existing as a puddle of utter
contentment upon Severus. Severus curled his free arm around her. Minnie laid
her head down on the man’s shoulder and Severus kissed her. She kissed the skin
nearest her lips. She felt Severus move his arm, and she turned anxiously. He
was retrieving the corner of the quilt and pulled it over them both. Minnie
placed her head back down and as she felt Severus replace his arm she closed
her eyes.
 
They fell asleep in that way.
 
***
 
When Severus felt daylight kiss his exposed throat and shoulder, he was aware
of a weight on his chest. He opened his eyes and found his arm encircling
North. He held her to his chest as he wriggled into a seated position. Minnie
squirmed and turned to look at him.
 
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Severus said softly.
 
“You didn’t,” North admitted, stretching, “I just didn’t want to move.”
 
“Then don’t,” said Severus.
 
Minnie looked at him, and laid her head back down on his shoulder.
 
“What time is it?” asked Severus.
 
“Early,” answered Minnie.
 
“When do you have to leave?”
 
Minnie could feel Severus’ heart beating against her own chest, the rhythm
equal to her own. “Soon,” she said regretfully.
 
Severus continued to hold her. He was still buried inside her and was reluctant
to lose that intimacy.
 
Minnie brushed Severus’ ear. “We don’t need to talk this morning,” she said
gently.
 
Severus glanced at her defensively. “I suppose you think we could meet again?”
he said. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do. They had to end it, didn’t
they? Hadn’t she said as much last night? How could they have one last night?
 
How could he allow this to be their last night?
 
North sighed, and the noise sounded distraught. “I don’t know when I can,” she
muttered, “my…family,” Severus caught the disparaging tone in North’s voice,
“have requested my presence. I don’t even know yet if I’ve gotten away with
tonight.”
 
Severus carded his slim fingers through her choppy hair.
 
“Beautiful?” said North.
 
Severus met her eyes.
 
“You really are Severus Tobias Snape, aren’t you?”
 
“I believe so,” Severus replied ironically.
 
“What if I owled you?”
 
Severus met her eyes unflinchingly. “Then you would be in very big trouble if
you did not show up when you write me you will.”
 
Minnie smiled. “I better be.”
 
Understanding that he was damning himself, Severus bent and delivered a
scorching kiss regardless. Let the consequences be damned for now.
 
Minnie sighed and rested her head on Severus’ shoulder.
 
Where it belongs, Severus thought. Her hair and her skin smelt so... right.
 
“You are wonderful, beautiful,” Minnie murmured.
 
“You seem to have me confused with someone else,” said Severus slickly.
 
Minnie nudged him with her forehead. “Maybe I like you better when you don’t
speak,” she teased.
 
“Maybe I like you better,” said Severus. He froze, realising what he’d just
said.
 
North looked at him. “I like you too,” she said.
 
Severus rested his head against her. What was he doing? “Remind me when you
have to leave?”
 
Minnie considered. She could apparate from the bedroom directly to the edge of
the school wards, then she had to cross the grounds and make her way to the
Slytherin dorms.
 
Providing she insisted on Severus having breakfast, she should be able to make
it inside the castle before he did.
 
North wriggled in Severus’ lap. “Long enough.”
 
***
 
At the edge of the anti-apparition field Minnie moved to the shadows to change
back her appearance and transfigure her clothing into sleepwear. She had
crossed the grounds, entered the school, and had just reached the dungeons when
she heard a voice that cracked through her like a whip.
 
“Miss Malfoy!”
 
Shit. Shit, shit, fuck and balls.
 
Minnie turned to face a rather displeased looking Severus Snape.
 
Her mouth felt dry. “Good morning sir.”
 
“Come here,” he said angrily.
 
Minnie obeyed, and was rewarded with the potion master’s fingers bruising her
shoulder.
 
“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Severus snapped.
 
“Well,” began Minnie.
 
“And correct me if I’m wrong, but you look far from seven years old.”
 
“Yes. Well-”
 
“Let’s avoid your lying to me,” Severus said. “Where should you be?”
 
“Draco’s dorm,” answered Minnie.
 
Severus narrowed his eyes at her. “Then you best find your way there this
instant. You can expect your punishment after breakfast.”
 
“Yes sir,” mumbled Minnie.
 
“That would be now,” spat Severus.
 
Minnie fled.
 
Draco was awake when Minnie entered the dorm room. “You’ve been gone almost the
whole night,” he hissed.
 
Minnie was wearing long, soft sleep pants low on her hips which were covered
with grass stains and soaked with dew at the bottom. Her tank top was tight and
the dungeons were cold.
 
“You look freezing,” Draco snapped, instantly performing warming charms and
pushing her to sit on the bed.
 
“Draco, will you shut up?” Blaise sat up and noticed Minnie, back at her normal
height, wearing form-fitting clothes and who had also obviously been outside
the castle. “Where you been, girl?”
 
“Shagging,” Minnie said bluntly.
 
Blaise turned and threw a pillow at the next bed. “Greg, get up, you tube.”
 
Minnie watched in confusion as Goyle sat up, gave Blaise a murderous look, then
calmly threw the pillow at Crabbe. “Vince!”
 
Then Vince sat up, gave his friend a blood-freezing glare, and looked around.
“Oh, right.” He got out of bed and crossed the room, pulling bedcurtains aside
and punching one bed’s occupant. “Theo!”
 
Nott yelped and sat up, rubbing his arm. “What the fuck Vince?”
 
“Something’s happening,” shrugged Vince.
 
“Thank you,” Draco snapped. He turned to his sister, “If you-”
 
“Not him,” Minnie sighed.
 
Blaise looked interested. “Not who?” Theo, who had forgiven his boyfriend,
crossed the room and sat down on Blaise’s bed. “Tell me you two aren’t at it
again,” Nott snapped.
 
Draco became livid, “You what?”
 
“Draco calm down,” Minnie sighed.
 
Draco stormed over to Blaise. “You fucked my sister?”
 
Minnie watched her half-brother shove Blaise then she grabbed him by the back
of his top as he pulled his fist back.
 
“Stop that,” she snarled. More blandly she said, “You were busy screwing Pansy
at the time.”
 
“That’s different,” Draco growled.
 
“How is it?”
 
“Pansy’s a slut!”
 
Minnie punched him then sighed, gesturing towards Blaise. “Shagged the poof,”
she said of herself, “not exactly Mother Teresa here.”
 
Blaise grinned and shoved her a little. “He’s the poof,” he corrected, fondly
throwing an arm around Theo, “I’m merely a happy bisexual.”
 
“And a complete fucking slut,” Draco snarled.
 
“Draco? Baby?” said Minnie, “I kind of have bigger problems right now.”
 
Draco looked at her. “Like what?”
 
“You’re not pregnant?” said Blaise.
 
“No,” said Minnie shortly. “Draco, feel free.”
 
Draco moved to hit Blaise but was tugged back by Greg.
 
“What kind of goons are you?” Draco demanded.
 
“Draco!” Minnie shouted.
 
“What?”
 
“Focus please.”
 
“Alright…What’s wrong?”
 
“Remember what you said I mustn’t let happen?”
 
“Well it wasn’t keep Zambini out of your vagina was it?” Draco snapped.
 
Greg cuffed the boy upside the head.
 
“What sort of a bodyguard are you?” Draco screamed.
 
“Don’t talk to your sister like that,” Greg said.
 
“Draco!” Minnie howled, avoiding further eruptions.
 
“I’m sorry. What?”
 
“Snape!”
 
“What?” A moment later the blood drained from the boy’s face. “I said: don’t
get caught!”
 
“Well I obviously didn’t manage that!”
 
“Fuck!” Draco said.
 
Greg hit him again. “Watch your mouth, I said.”
 
Minnie glanced over. “I don’t mind, Greg.”
 
Draco sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “What did he say?”
 
“That he’s going to punish me after breakfast.”
 
“We have class then,” said Vincent. Not long into the term the study period
before lunch had been swapped with the first period of the day.
 
Minnie paled, remembering the last time the man had punished her in his
classroom. “He wouldn’t do it in front of the class, would he?”
 
“Snape doesn’t punish Slytherins in front of the other houses,” Theo said.
 
“Yeah, but I’m not really a Slytherin, am I? It’s not like he can take points.”
 
“He never takes points from us,” Greg said. “Just detentions.”
 
“Or-” Vincent stopped, “but you’re a girl so he wouldn’t do that.”
 
“Or what?” said Minnie.
 
Vincent blushed. “He’s got…”
 
“Alternative methods,” Draco supplied.
 
“I think I’ve nearly experienced those,” said Minnie with dread. “Would he
ever, you know, in front of…”
 
“I don’t think so,” Greg said uncertainly.
 
“Well that’s just grand,” Minnie sighed.
 
*
 
Minnie breakfasted with the Slytherins, hoping there was safety in numbers. She
toyed with her food, until Draco snapped at her and bullied her into eating,
and then she sat at the table for as long as she dared. Ten minutes later she
appeared reluctantly at the staff table beside the potions master.
 
“Sir?” she mumbled.
 
The man narrowed his eyes at her. “Yes Miss Malfoy?”
 
“Don’t you want to see me sir?” Minnie said nervously, “You said…to come to you
after breakfast.”
 
“Really, Miss Malfoy, why ever did I bid you to do that?”
 
Minnie got the distinct impression Snape just wanted her to say it. Wretched
man, embarrassing her like this after the sex she’d given him before breakfast.
 
“For my punishment, sir,” Minnie answered bravely.
 
“I see,” Severus said, toying with the food on his plate to make it appear he
was still eating even although he’d eaten at the Leaky Cauldron. “Perhaps you
should remind me what you’re going to be punished for?”
 
Damn the sexy man. “For being out after curfew and looking normal-sized.”
 
The potions master took a sip of pumpkin juice. “And?”
 
“And?” Minnie repeated blankly. What ‘and’? There was no ‘and’.
 
Severus turned fully and regarded her shrewdly. “You can’t think of anything
else you did, Miss Malfoy?”
 
From Minnie’s vacant expression it was apparent she did not follow his line of
thinking. “Um, isn’t what I said enough?”
 
Snape glared. “Consider your attire,” he prompted.
 
Minnie looked down. She was wearing a baby blue polo shirt, pale jeans and
white trainers. What was wrong with her clothes? Did they have to be green or
something?
 
Was the girl seriously this air-headed? “Last night, Miss Malfoy.”
 
‘Last night,’ Minnie mouthed, thinking hard.
 
The girl had been wearing relatively thin pyjamas that fit snugly around her
feminine curves and were not remotely suitable for wearing in a dorm full of
boys, where she shouldn’t have been in the first place, if Severus had not been
overruled by some insane Headmaster Reasoning, but more importantly, the girl
was caught wearing just them outside the dorm, which the temperature did not
permit, not to mention she’d obviously been outside, being covered in green
stains as she was, and soaked to the bone with dew. If not for the obvious
danger posed by being outside, barely clad, during night hours, there was the
high likelihood of the silly creature becoming ill from her exposure to the
cold and damp.
 
“Um, the grass stains?” Minnie ventured, wishing there was some way to read the
man’s mind without his knowing.
 
“And what would the grass stains indicate Miss Malfoy?”
 
“Er, that I’d been outside?”
 
“You don’t sound certain.”
 
“That I was outside.”
 
“Were you now,” said Snape. “And what where you wearing outside? Not those thin
pyjamas, surely?”
 
“Oh,” said Minnie.
 
Severus stood abruptly, noting that the girl had at least the sense to follow.
 
To Minnie’s discomfort, she was led into the potions classroom.
 
“You realise that you could have caught your death of cold?” Severus snapped.
“Your meagre attire was sodden; not to mention you should have known the
dungeons were much too cold for just your pyjamas, never mind outside! I doubt
Lucius would have been pleased to hear the school had allowed his errant
daughter to catch pneumonia.”
 
Minnie looked up to smile shyly, but it was quelled by the man’s angry
expression. “I hope you realise why I chose not to punish you right then, aside
from wanting you changed into warm, dry clothing and into bed to be remotely
fresh for my class?”
 
Minnie met his eyes in question. “To give me time to think about it?”
 
“To give myself time to calm down,” Severus snarled. “If I’d punished you last
night you can rest assured I would have blistered your tail.”
 
Minnie felt colour rushing up to her cheeks.
 
“As it is, you are going to point your nose in that corner until I decide to
release you,” the man snapped, gesturing to the corner at the back of the class
most visible from his desk. Minnie turned to him to speak, but was instantly
silenced by the black look Snape gave her. She fled to the corner.
 
Severus grimly took his place behind his desk to wait for the classroom to
fill. Minnie found that the angry presence behind her, boring holes into the
back of her head, was disturbing her somewhat fiercely.
 
Draco was first to enter the classroom, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, whilst the
others preoccupied Pansy. Should there be anything unsightly happening in the
class when he arrived, his bodyguards would prevent the Gryffindors from
entering until whatever was happening was finished.
 
As it was, Draco was met with what, at first glance, appeared to be a classroom
occupied only by the professor, yet housed in one corner an only partially
contrite young female who was mentally cursing Snape and vowing that he was
never, ever, receiving fellatio from her ever, ever again.
 
“Sit down and be silent, Mister Malfoy,” Severus intoned. “Stop loitering in
the doorway, boys.”
 
Greg and Vincent reluctantly entered and seated themselves, the room gradually
becoming filled with students.
 
“Silence,” Severus demanded. “Your instructions are,” he jabbed his wand, “on
the board, and you will all keep your eyes directed to the front. Begin.”
 
Ronald Weasley was first to be deposited in another corner for disobeying his
professor’s instructions. After that, everyone resolutely ignored Minnie,
although Blaise, who was sitting rather close to the redhead’s corner, did
renew Draco’s favour by pelting newts eyes at the redheaded boy who was warned
to stay perfectly still on threat of a dreadfully horrible death.
 
Severus appeared not to notice.
 
*
 
“Did I give you permission to move, Miss Malfoy?”
 
Minnie pouted. “The period’s over.”
 
“And yet your punishment has at least another hour.”
 
Minnie spun around. “But-”
“Miss Malfoy I will keep you here until dinnertime if I so choose, I’m sure my
other classes can accommodate you. Turn around and be silent.”
 
If Minnie had been truly afraid of the potions master she would likely have
obeyed. However, she dared risk his wrath: he seemed to be in what was, for
him, a charitable mood.
 
“Sir, my muscles are sore.”
 
Severus did not look up from the potions journal he was skimming. “If it takes
away your muscular pain from standing still you may come here and I will
address the matter by making another part of you very sore.” He lifted his
head. “Turn back to the wall Miss Malfoy.”
 
Foul man.
 
***
 
 
Severus did not make Minnie remain in the corner until dinnertime. Six minutes
into the interval, when Minnie resigned herself to remaining facing the walls
for all eternity, he dismissed her.
 
The first person Minnie met as a free person was Harry.
 
“What did you do?” he greeted her.
 
Minnie shrugged. “I was coming back in last night and he caught me in the
dungeons with grass stains on my bottoms.”
 
“Bad luck,” the boy winced. He was glad to assume she had been her normal size.
 
Minnie gave a rueful smile. “At least I managed to get out.”
 
“How was your night?” Harry asked.
 
“Not bad,” said Minnie. Her eyes danced. “Have you tried Finnegan yet?”
 
Harry blushed. “You were right, you know. I actually found Dean in his bed
early this morning.”
 
Minnie laughed. “What did you say?”
 
“I said they should have asked me to join in -then retreated like a coward to
the bathroom,” Harry admitted.
 
“My, that Gryffindor courage sounds great. We’ll get you a boy yet, Scarhead,”
Minnie teased affectionately.
 
Harry grinned and they parted ways, Minnie making her way to Moody’s rooms. She
lay down on his bed and breathed in the smell of the man. She’d missed him
somehow.
 
*
 
“Lucius, is this true?” drawled the Dark Lord, casually ending the curse.
 
Lucius remained sobbing on the floor. He had been subjected to the cruciatus
curse for an entire five minutes.
 
Voldemort sighed. “Crucio.”
 
Screams were torn from the man at his feet.
 
Voldemort lifted the curse seconds later. “Really Lucius,” he scolded. “Focus.”
 
The blonde had the presence of mind to gasp, “Yes, my Lord.”
 
“I expect you to bring her to me –crucio- soon.”
 
*
 
During fourth period, Minnie could be found quietly reading a rather disgusting
potions tome that was grimy to the touch and was written so long ago there were
random ‘e’s at the ends of nearly every word. The combination of faint
lettering, old spellings, the smell and the dust was giving her a headache.
 
Severus was not speaking to her, instead ripping his quill viciously through a
stack of fourth year essays.
 
Minnie kept her eyes on the words in front of her as a note flew into the room.
Yes, reading the ancient book was hell, but she did not want placed back in the
corner, thank you.
 
Whatever the piece of parchment said it hardly seemed to please Snape. He got
up with an annoyed flourish of his robes. “You are to come.”
 
Surprised, Minnie left the book open and quickly followed. She risked bumping
her hand against his. Twice.
 
The second time, Severus took it and met her eyes briefly.
 
Whatever was happening must be bad then, Minnie surmised.
 
“Sugar quills,” Severus hissed at the gargoyle.
 
Minnie got the distinct impression the stone creature had rolled its eyes at
him as it stepped aside. She reached up and stroked the side of the gargoyle’s
face as though he were a Great Dane and not a carving. “Never mind him,” she
said consolingly, “he’s worried.”
 
The girl was no less surprised than Severus when the gargoyle smiled at her.
 
Severus tugged her up the stairs.
 
Lucius was standing glaring at the headmaster when the pair entered the office.
“What held you up?”
 
“Your daughter was gossiping about me to the gargoyle,” Severus answered.
 
“The gargoyle?”
 
Minnie smiled cheerfully. “He grinned at me.”
 
“‘He’?” Severus repeated dubiously.
 
“He,” Minnie agreed blithely.
 
“Isn’t that amazing,” said Dumbledore.
 
Lucius tapped his staff on the floor to draw attention back to his preferred
topic.
 
Minnie turned to him with an open expression that wasn’t at all felt.
 
“It seems both of you are coming home with me,” Lucius drawled. He paused.
“Where is Draco?”
 
‘Not here obviously,’ Minnie thought.
 
Moments later footfalls could be heard on the stairs and the boy in question
appeared. “Hello there Father.”
 
Lucius nodded. “Good morning Draco.”
 
“Is something happening?” Draco asked.
 
“Nothing important,” Lucius said.
 
*
 
Minnie was disturbed by the short amount of time it took to arrive at Malfoy
Manor. At least she’d managed to change before being bundled into the floo.
Arriving in jeans and a pair of muggle trainers- wouldn’t that have been
horrifying. Her father had not seemed to notice but she was sure that he had.
He doubtlessly could hardly have missed the Fred Perry top.
 
As it was, she was wearing hot pink, glittery heels and a floaty white dress
cinched by a belt the exact same material and design and (fabulous) make as the
shoes.
Draco reached over to squeeze her arm reassuringly. “You look lovely,” he
promised.
 
Which was important, as Narcissa was shortly about to join them in the drawing
room.
 
When Narcissa did, she eyed Minnie critically before she noticed Severus.
 
“Lucius?” she questioned.
 
“The old fool insisted on Severus keeping an eye on your daughter. As if I do
not know how to control my own children.”
 
“Quite,” said Narcissa, crossing the floor to examine the girl more closely.
Minnie, who was dwelling on the ‘your daughter’ and allusion to discipline that
Lucius had made, did not notice until the woman had firmly-yet-lightly taken
Minnie’s face in her hands.
 
“You have flawless skin,” said Narcissa, “but it is strange to see a Malfoy
with eyes as dark as yours’, they’re almost as black as Severus’.”
 
“Ought I change them?” Minnie asked quietly.
 
“Oh no dear,” Narcissa protested, “you must keep something of yourself. Smile.”
 
Minnie obeyed, and was surprised when the woman began pushing aside her lips to
expose her teeth. “These won’t need alteration either,” Narcissa said in
praise.
 
“What will?” Minnie asked when she had her mouth back.
 
Narcissa scrutinised her. “Here,” she said, running a thumb over an ear that
was more pointed than a Malfoy ear, “and here also,” she indicated the girl’s
knees and calves, and brushed her slim fingers over Minnie’s stomach. “Your
bellybutton,” the woman said, “does it show in or out?”
 
“In,” said Minnie.
 
“Change it,” said Narcissa. “Malfoys don’t.”
 
‘Ridiculous,’ Minnie thought, keeping the irritation from her face and eyes.
She had no intention of altering her bellybutton!
 
“You are remarkably pretty,” Narcissa commented. “Of course, that is to be
expected, with a mix of Malfoy and Black blood.”
 
“Thank you,” Minnie said uncertainly.
 
Narcissa circled her. “You’re like Nymphadora?”
 
“Similar,” Minnie said, a small amount of irritation seeping into her voice.
 
Narcissa regarded her with approval. “You dislike that association?”
 
“I believe poise is still considered a valuable trait,” Minnie said carefully.
 
“Indeed,” said Narcissa, leading Minnie to an ornate mirror and leading Draco
also, so that Minnie might copy her half-brother’s ears.
 
For her legs, Minnie used Narcissa’s example.
 
Shortly a house elf appeared informing them it was time to change for lunch.
 
“I have provided suitable outfits and placed them in your closet,” Narcissa
said to Minnie.
 
“Thank you,” said Minnie, inclining her head.
 
Severus looked up. “Where is her room?” he asked.
 
“The south wing. Why?”
 
“I need to be close to her at night also.”
 
Lucius looked close to affronted. “The girl attacked a mudblood, Draco’s in no
danger.”
 
Severus glanced across. “She’s…highly strung. This isn’t entirely about Draco’s
safety…”
 
The man didn’t finish. Minnie somehow felt glad he hadn’t explained it was for
her sanity.
 
“Is there something I need to know, Severus?” Lucius drawled.
 
“Not if I can help it,” the man replied smoothly.
 
Lucius showed his teeth but allowed the conversation to end. “Your things are
in your usual room regardless. The house elves can move them to a more
convenient room for you after luncheon.”
 
“Thank you, Lucius,” Severus said sedately.
 
***
 
Draco slipped along to Minnie’s room. She had covered her bed with outfits; it
wasn’t difficult to pick out something suitable and return the rest to the
closet.
 
“How did you know I’d struggle?” she asked.
 
Draco looked at her. “Because I know you well enough to know that you are
nervous. Hide it better,” he said.
 
Minnie glanced across, picking up the chosen dress. She didn’t ask why and she
didn’t ask how.
 
Draco left to wait outside. When Minnie was suitably attired he took her arm
and led her downstairs to the dining room.
 
The room itself was large enough to seat much more than one hundred people, but
the present table, placed in the middle of the room, only seated twenty. From
the scent of magic it exuded, obviously it could be extended out. Draco slid
into the tall-backed chair that was beside Severus and adjacent to his father.
With only minute hesitation Minnie chose the chair across from Severus, and was
relieved when Narcissa seated herself beside Lucius without signalling that
Minnie had been mistaken.
 
The meal itself was ridiculously pretentious. Minnie’s luck held, however, as
the woman beside her surveyed her small selection of foodstuffs making the
assumption Minnie was watching her figure.
 
After eating was when Minnie’s luck gave out. Lucius was sitting on the edge of
his seat, twirling the expensive wine in his expensive crystal glass, when a
flicker of pain showed briefly across his face, and the arm that had held his
glass went to the inside of his left arm.
 
Severus did the same.
 
“Daughter, come here if you would,” Lucius drawled, a quiver of pain threading
through his strained voice.
 
Minnie felt her muscles tense. Without a word, she stood and obeyed. Severus
contained the concern he felt rising up his chest. Lucius stood to take
Minnie’s shoulder. He focused on the burning of his arm, then disapperated with
a crack. Moments later Severus also obeyed the calling.
 
The trio had apparated to what appeared to be a room of a large and expensive
home. Another manor, perhaps. The walls were covered in broadly striped blue
and cream satin-effect wallpaper, that probably had once cost twenty pounds per
roll, back when that was more than most people could earn in a year. Now the
walls were grimy and old. The lighting was ineffective and gloomy; there many
places Minnie would have preferred to be.
 
Particularly as the Dark Lord was without question somewhere far too nearby.
 
Both men seemed familiar with the setting. Lucius had let Minnie go and was
moving through a doorframe that had no door. Severus turned back and placed his
hand soothingly in the hollow of her back before leading her out of the decayed
room.
 
The hallway was in no less disrepair. Lucius ducked past cobwebs that seemed to
reach out to snatch at him. Severus followed behind, moving the unpleasant
objects out of the way to push Minnie past them. Minnie did not stray from the
space between the man’s arm and chest until her father led them into a large
and much grander room. Everything here was ostentatious and clean, but lit only
by the feeble glow of a solitary, squat candle bobbing bravely in the corner.
The light reflected off the walls but did not bounce far enough to light the
opposite side of the room.
 
From this darkened corner an ominous silhouette emerged, and observed Minnie
with eyes that remained red, even in the meagre light.
 
Minnie felt Severus and her father drop to their knees behind her, although
Severus pulled Minnie down simultaneously.
 
“Let her stand,” said Voldemort.
 
Next installment: Purebloods Make Plans. Wherein Draco features heavily! :)
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!
